Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

BBC News

• Airbus wing fix could take weeksAirbus has confirmed its flagship A380 planes could be grounded for up to eight weeks if work to repair cracks in their wings is done in one go.
• Qantas surges on defence strategyQantas shares surge after reports the Australian airline has appointed the Macquarie Group to help defend against any takeover bids.

Financial Times

• Jordan picks easyJet as Olympics carrierThe UK airline, the first to sponsor a foreign sports team, will fly its athletes and support staff between Amman and London this summer
• Airlines: wings and a prayerBuying into this sector requires a belief either that consolidation looms or that global growth forecasts are pessimistic
• Flybe losses widen but still beat forecastsRegional airline struggles with sluggish demand and high fuel prices but analysts say it is geared to benefit from any recovery in market
• European airlines™ losses put at $1.1bnIndustry body predicts combined net losses at European air carriers set to be nearly twice as big as expected because of the eurozone crisis

The Telegraph

• Britain must have third runway at Heathrow or face 'withering away' Britain's air connections to the rest of the world could "wither away", aviation's most influential figure has warned. Tony Tyler, director general of the International Air Transport Association, launched an attack on the Government's failure to expand Heathrow.
• UK government is damaging aviation industry, warns BA boss Willie Walsh Willie Walsh, one of the most influential figures in aviation, has accused the Government of doing all it can to damage air travel.
• Airlines urge EU to ditch carbon permit scheme Airlines have appealed to the EU to ditch its aviation carbon trading scheme amid fears that it will trigger a trade war.
• Flybe reveals 'disappointing' fall in profits Flybe, Europe's largest regional airline, posted a steep fall in full-year profits, hit by tough economic conditions in Britain and rising fuel costs.
• China to build 70 new airports in three years China is set to build 70 new airports in three years, the head of the country's civil aviation watchdog said on Monday.
• Qantas chief Alan Joyce blames hedge funds for share collapse Qantas' chief executive has blamed hedge funds for the collapse in the Australian airline's share price that wiped more than $1bn off the company's value.
• European airlines could go out of business, warns economist Brian Pearce European airlines could go out of business because of the continent's economic weakness, the aviation industry's leading economist has warned.

Mail Online

• Airline offers passengers luxury private suites complete with double bed and Italian-stitched armchair... and there's no need to worry about the leg-room!Singapore Airlines is offering private suites on its A380 aircraft but you'll need to be rather wealthy to enjoy the luxury facilities.

London Evening Standard

• David Cameron ‘will face defections’ if he does U-turn on third Heathrow runway David Cameron was warned today that he faced a major backlash from Tory MPs representing people under Heathrow’s flightpath if he decides to favour a third runway.

Manchester Evening News

• Night noise takes off as Manchester Airport runway to close for repairsThe main runway at Manchester Airport is to shut for four nights for repair work. Runway One will close from 10pm-6am for four nights from tonight  to allow work on the taxiways near the runway to be carried out. Night-time take-offs and landings will be switched to Runway Two but passengers should not be affected.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Regional airline Flybe posts £7.1m annual lossREGIONAL airline Flybe admitted today it had slumped to a “disappointing” full-year despite increasing its share of a declining UK passenger market.

Other Regional Press

• Grow Heathrow members wait to hear eviction fate The Grow Heathrow members will find out whether they will be evicted next week, as the landowners attempt to reclaim their land. Hayes and Harlington MP John McDonnell, a staunch supporter of the project, will be a witness at the hearing.

Aviation Industry

• Private jet firm NetJets to buy up to 275 new Bombardier Challenger jetsPrivate jet company NetJets Inc. signed a deal Monday to buy up to 275 Challenger business jets from Bombardier that could be worth up to US$7.3 billion.
• Air France KLM to trial onboard wifiAirlines to test internet and mobile phone services from next year