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IAG boss concerned about new transport minister

Monday, October 17th, 2011

Following Friday’s resignation of Liam Fox, it has been announced that Transport Secretary Philip Hammond will now take over as Defence Secretary. His position has been filled by MP for Putney, Justine Greening. The appointment has not pleased International Airlines Group boss, Willie Walsh. He fears that as Putney is under the Heathrow flight path, Ms Greening will be unable to take a neutral position on aviation policy.

The government is presently conducting an in-depth review into aviation and is expected to publish the results some time early next year. Mr Walsh has been championing the idea of adding a third runway at Heathrow in order to boost capacity, something Ms Greening has been apposed to in the past.

The government has said that it has no plans to increase capacity at airports in the south east of the country. Currently it is looking into the viability of creating what it calls a virtual hub by linking Gatwick with its larger neighbour by high-speed rail.

Mr Walsh, and a number of other airline bosses, has said that the project will take too long to complete and be extremely expensive for the tax payer. He has always maintained that any airport expansion would be paid for by the airlines which use them.

According to IAG, Mr Walsh will also be sending a letter to the new Transport Secretary asking her to look at scrapping the controversial air passenger duty. Opponents say that the high levels of aviation tax in the UK are damaging both business and tourism.

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Minister calls for compulsory travel insurance

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

The plight of a British family struggling to pay medical expenses for a relative who is in hospital in Singapore has caused a government minister to call for compulsory travel insurance. North West Leicestershire Conservative MP, Andrew Bridgen, says the case of 30-year-old Matthew Taylor highlights the need for all those travelling abroad to take out adequate medical cover.

Mr Taylor has been recovering in a hospital in Singapore since he was involved in a motorcycle accident in July. He was a teacher in Bali at the time without any insurance which has left his family with a bill of £172,000. He remains in a serious condition which means he cannot fly home and therefore his family will be forced to continue paying for his treatment. Costs are currently around £2,000 per day.

According to Darrell Taylor, Matthew’s father, his son had decided against taking out cover because it would cost more than half his monthly wage. Mr Bridgen said it was essential that travellers realised the financial risk of travelling without proper insurance.

He highlighted the fact by saying that a car cannot go abroad without cover, so why should people be allowed to do so. He has suggested that checks be carried out at airports to flag up holidaymakers who do not have insurance.

Matthew’s father said he was sure his son would make a full recovery in time, adding that he did not know what the family was going to do if they ran out of cash.

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Transport campaigners worried about planning reforms

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

The government’s proposed adjustments to the planning laws have led to criticism from transport groups. Campaigners claim that the development of more business-parks on out of town sites will inevitably lead to more congestion on the roads, especially around rush-hour. The Campaign for Better Transport has produced research which says that the development of a single additional business park at suitable junctions on the M1 motorway would lead to traffic volumes increasing by 16 per cent.

The government has accused the group of greatly exaggerating the figures and of not understanding the reforms which are being proposed. However, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the National Trust have both said that by simplifying the planning laws the door will be left open for developers to march onto the greenbelt.

The government claims that by simplifying its planning policy it will help to encourage economic growth. However, Campaign for Better Transport’s Stephen Joseph pointed out that there was still no proof that adjusting the planning laws would stimulate growth.

He added that the campaign’s research suggested that the economy could actually end up being damaged as office developments begin to spring up along major roads and at the side of motorways. He went on to say that motorists were unlikely to appreciate sitting in the type of jams experienced on bank holiday weekends twice every working day.

Joseph agreed that there needed to be new development but not if it meant there would be more congestion on the roads and across other transport networks.

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Government handed petition to save Bombardier

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

Parliament has received a petition to prevent a lucrative train-building contract being awarded to Germany rather than Bombardier, a British manufacturer. More than 50,000 people have signed the document which was delivered by Labour MP for Derby North, Chris Williamson. He described the number of signatures received to help save the train-maker as staggering.

Siemens was recently declared the preferred bidder for the contract to build new carriages for Thameslink which is worth £1.5 billion. Bombardier has since announced that the decision would force it to cut 1,400 jobs in Derby where the firm is based.

Mr Williamson said there was a great deal of ill-feeling over the decision to send the contract abroad and that many in Derby were hoping that the government and Prime Minister David Cameron would step-in to save Bombardier. He used Rolls-Royce as an example of a company which nearly went under in 1971. After nationalisation by the Tory government, the firm went on to become one of the world’s most successful companies, he said.

After being awarded the Thameslink contract, Siemens announced it would be creating 2,000 new jobs in the UK. Mr Cameron ruled out a reversal of the decision to give the job to Siemens but said he would be looking to see if any changes to EU regulations could be made in the future.

The government has said that it is bound by regulations laid down by the EU, and the last Labour government, over criteria controlling the bidding process and that it was legally obliged abide by this process.

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Terrorists attack Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

A terrorist attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul has resulted in the death of at least 10 civilians, according to Afghan officials. The attack took place at the luxury hotel on Tuesday night. Officials say the number of dead does not include at least six gunmen and suicide bombers who were either killed by security forces or blew themselves up.

Spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, Siddiq Siddigi, declared an end to the five-hour siege early on Wednesday morning. Ambulances and security vehicles then moved in to remove the injured and dead. The authorities have warned that the death toll could rise.

Three of the militants apparently took up positions on the roof of the hotel. A NATO spokesman said two of its helicopters had been called in and had opened fire on the gunmen killing them.

Responsibility for the attack has been claimed by the Taliban. It said it was intentionally targeting foreign guests.

The US State Department has issued a statement in which it condemns the terrorists for their disregard of human life. Washington confirmed that all diplomatic staff from the US were safe and extended condolences to the victims’ families.

The attack on the Intercontinental happened on the eve of a conference which was to be held to discuss the transferral of responsibility to Afghan security forces from the International Security Assistance Force led by NATO.

Gen Mohammad Ayub Salangi, Kabul’s chief of police, said the hotel had been searched and confirmed the safety of the guests.

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Search for Air France wreckage begins again

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

Specially constructed underwater robots have been deployed to the Atlantic to help in the fourth search for the flight recorders of Air France 447 which crashed into the ocean on 1 June, 2009. The accident happened during a fierce storm killing all 228 people who were on board. The cause remains a mystery and it is unlikely that any definitive answer will ever be given without the black box recorders.

The latest search is being funded by Air France and European planemaker Airbus. It will be overseen by accident agency BEA and coordinated by experts from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

Woods Hole director of special projects, David Gallo, said the search would be difficult because much of the 3,900 square miles of ocean floor it would be concentrated on has never been explored. He added that he was sure the Woods Hole team would find any wreckage, if it is there.

The need to recover the data recorders has stepped up a notch as both Airbus and Air France have now had manslaughter suits filed against them by a French court. It will be difficult to apportion blame if the black boxes are not found.

Just before it went down, automatic messages were sent from the Airbus A330 showing that the airspeed being recorded by the aircraft’s sensors was wrong. Although perhaps a contributing factor, most experts believe that this alone could not have caused the plane to go down. Flight 447 was also contending with turbulent weather conditions.

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Treasury to rake in billions as price of fuel soars

Friday, January 14th, 2011

It has emerged that as the British motorist suffers crippling price increases at the petrol pumps, the government is to earn billions in taxes as the price of a barrel of oil rises on the international markets. In November, the Treasury estimated that the price of a barrel of oil would hit $85. The current price is $98 and rising. This means tax earnings have increased by nearly £2 billion more than was expected.

The revelation is bound to increase the pressure on David Cameron to introduce a price stabiliser for fuel – something he pledged to do as he asked the public for election votes. Although the subject has been brought up on a number of occasions, and although the Prime Minister claims to be sharing the pain of the motorist, he still hasn’t made a firm commitment.

Motoring organisations have shrugged off the claim that increasing revenues from oil are levelled out by a decrease in tax revenues from other areas as rising prices slow the growth of the economy.

The AA’s president, Edmund King, said the windfall for the government from the rising price of oil should be used to ease the pain of the motorist at the pumps. He pointed out that a reduction of the price of petrol would actually increase consumer spending and ease the growing anger over rising fuel taxes.

Mr Cameron said that the Treasury was looking at ways of sharing the cost of fuel with the consumer, but was unclear as to whether anything should be expected until the budget in March.

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Disruption continues as fuel runs low across France

Monday, October 18th, 2010

Disruption to public transport services across France is continuing as unions keep up their pressure on President Sarkozy over his controversial retirement reforms. Mr Sarkozy is standing by his position and says the country cannot afford not to revise the pension rules. The unions are signalling that they are also not prepared to back down as panic buying across the country leads to fears of a fuel shortage.

Truck drivers have announced that they will continue to cause disruption by blocking roads across the country. Transport unions have said that train services will continue to be disrupted. Around half the scheduled TGV services will be cancelled today and only a third of all other train services are due to run.

Flights in and out of Charles de Gaulle airport in the capital could soon be cancelled if fuel supplies begin to run short. France’s transport minister Dominique Bussereau is playing down rumours and saying a pipeline supplying the airport is back in service and fuel will be supplied indefinitely.

In Paris, petrol stations are already displaying sold-out signs on their pumps. Total has said up to 400 of its service stations are now not being supplied adequately. Representatives of France’s oil industry, the UFIP, claim that if the government does not grant access to emergency supplies the country could be running low on fuel by the middle of the week.

Where fuel is available the temptation will be to push the price up as demand heightens. Christine Lagarde, The country’s economy minister has warned people tempted to do this that they could face prosecution.

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Chile miners safely back on the surface

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

The world is breathing a sigh of relief today as all 33 miners, who have spent nearly 70 days trapped 2,000 feet below the surface of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, are safe and sound back on the surface. As each miner stepped out of the tiny rescue capsule, cheers went up from the waiting crowd.

First to emerge was Florencio Avalos, a 31-year-old Chilean miner. He was met by his wife and son and a crowd chanting his country’s name. The world was allowed to watch after media restrictions were abandoned. Chile’s president Sebastian Pinera explained that the rescue operations were so marvellous that he could not find a reason not to share the miracle.

Second out of the capsule, which was designed to haul each of the men 600 meters through a hole, just 26-inches wide, cut through the solid rock, was Mario Sepulveda. He declared his happiness, waved a flag, presented his rescuers with a bag of rock souvenirs and then asked how the dog was.

In half the time rescuers thought it would take, all of the miners were breathing fresh air. Having overcome extraordinary odds against their survival, the miners have been taken to hospital where some are being treated for dental problems and others for eye problems.

Nobody can ascertain yet what the mental affect of 69 days of incarceration in a mine will be. Sepulveda was the only miner to speak directly to the media immediately after his rescue. He asked that he and his colleagues not be treated like celebrities, but like the miners they are.

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Discussions continue over the weekend between UK’s political parties

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Sunday’s discussions between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems over the possibility of forming a government together have been described as productive and positive. The two parties met for six hours, and are due to continue talks today.

The negotiating team for the Conservatives consisted of shadow foreign secretary William Hague, shadow chancellor George Osborne, chief of staff Ed Llewellin, and Oliver Letwin, the party’s policy chief. On the Lib Dem side were MPs Chris Huhne, Andrew Stunnel, David Laws and Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem chief of staff.

Speaking after the day-long discussions, Mr Hague said that a wide range of political issues had been covered including political reform, issues pertaining to the environment, civil liberties, banking reform and the reduction of the country’s deficit. Mr Hague emphasised the fact that economic stability was going to be key to any discussions between the two parties.

Party leaders also met for a second time over the weekend. On Sunday the leader of the Lib Dems, Nick Clegg, met with Labour leader, Gordon Brown. The meeting took place at the Foreign Office, following a phone call from Mr Brown after he arrived back in London from his home in Scotland. The pair allegedly met to update each other and the talks were amicable, according to a Labour source.

Yesterday, Mr Clegg said that he wanted to make sure that his party played a constructive role in providing a government capable of tackling the current problems with the economy. He said that although they did not achieve enough votes for an outright majority, the Conservatives are the country’s biggest party, and as such have the right to try to form a government first.

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