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

Tuesday, 03 May 2011

BBC News

• Last gasp: Airport charges smokers for pre-flight dragsBelfast International Airport imposes a £1 charge to allow smokers a cigarette
• Tree closes part of Regents CanalA small section of Regents Canal in London is closed after a tree falls into the water in front of a bridge.
• Record fall in Japanese car salesJapan's domestic sales of cars, trucks and buses fell by a record amount in April, hit by the aftermath of the earthquake.
• Chrysler returns to profitabilityUS carmaker Chrysler reports a quarterly net profit of $116m, its first since it emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2009.
• Saab 'to resume car production'Swedish carmaker Saab plans to resume production within a week after its parent Spyker Cars secured a 30m (£27m) euro loan.

Financial Times

• Hard-pressed airlines move to cut capacityAir passengers face the unhappy prospect of higher fares and crowded aircrafts as airlines try to fend off the impact of rising fuel prices and other uncertainties
• National Express prepares for showdownA full-scale battle over the direction of the company has been raging at one of the world's biggest transport groups and the showdown will take place at the company's annual meeting

The Herald

• Labour got rail link sums wrong, say criticsLABOUR™S pledge to revive the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (Garl) has suffered an embarrassing setback after it was found to have underestimated the cost of financing the project by more than £160 million.
• Buses will be free to use Forth bridgePLANS to utilise the existing Forth Road Bridge as a dedicated public transport route have been dealt a blow as it emerged that buses will be free to use the new £1.7 billion crossing.
• World buys Bond AviationBond Aviation, the North Sea helicopter operator, has been acquired in a private equity deal for €300m (£268m).

The Scotsman

• Trams must go all the way to the end of the line, say business chiefs BUSINESS leaders in Scotland's capital will support moves to secure extra funding to ensure Edinburgh's troubled tram project is completed, The Scotsman can reveal.
• http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/letters/Japan-rail-contract-missed-chance-UK/article-3499210-detail/article.htmlPLANS to turn the Forth Road Bridge into a "public transport corridor" have been undermined after it emerged many bus companies could choose to use the new £1.7 billion crossing instead.

Mail Online

• Passengers face tougher checks in the wake of Bin Laden's death Millions of Britons face tougher security checks and longer queues amid fears of reprisals by terrorists seeking to avenge the death of Osama bin Laden.

Belfast Telegraph

• Air taxes reform still being considered In the 2011 Budget the Chancellor said the Government was still considering options for reform of air passenger duty (APD). Related StoriesFSA in disarray over RBS reportBaby-clothing chain pockets big pay dayBuffett's big day marred by spat with former aideNearly half of SMEs want May holiday later in yearFears for North Sea oil and gas after UK tax hit

Birmingham Mail

• Bomb squads to scour site close to Curzon Street high speed rail terminal A FORGOTTEN corner of Birmingham due to be developed in to a park and high speed rail terminal is to undergo tests for unexploded Second World War bombs.

Yorkshire Post

• High hopes for road scheme at centre of £200m investment driveA ROAD scheme which could bring hundreds of millions of pounds of investment to a underused area close to Sheffield’s Meadowhall shopping centre is set for approval today.

Aviation Industry

• EU delays easing of restrictions on carry-on liquids citing confusing situationThe European Commission on Friday issued an eleventh-hour statement advising EU member states
• Southwest closes AirTran purchase for $1 billion in cash, stockSouthwest Airlines on Monday completed its acquisition of AirTran Airways, a move that combines the world's largest LCC with the third largest LCC in North America and further accelerates the US industry's consolidation.
• Aircraft & Components Airbus announced it received the first set of A350 XWB main landing gear produced by Messier-Dowty at its test facility in Filton. Delivery of this MLG set for the A350-900 follows the arrival last month of the nose landing gear (ATW Daily News, April 15), which will soon be installed together into the landing gear systems test rig, paving the way for integration testing to begin toward the end of 2011, said Airbus.
• Virgin Blue, Delta to expand codeshare agreement The Virgin Blue Group will expand its codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines to include more destinations in the US and within Australia and New Zealand. This will allow V Australia passengers to connect from Los Angeles to San Francisco, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Detroit as well as the current New York and Orlando. DL will codeshare on flights from Sydney to Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Auckland and Christchurch.

Other News Sources

• The Clout of Air Alliances Global airline alliances used to be little more than marketing agreements among carriers, and travelers had only a dim awareness of them.
• ARSA Celebrates New U.S./E.U. Aviation Safety AgreementAeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) Executive Director Sarah MacLeod released the following statement in response to the entry into force of a new bilateral aviation safety agreement (...