Copenhagen, Denmark, October 12, 2023 – A.P. Moller – Maersk (London: 0O77) is embarking on a collaboration with Starlink, the pioneering satellite internet constellation developed by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX. SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk of Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) fame.
Maersk, the global leader of integrated container logistics, will have Starlink installed on more than 330 own operated container vessels. This will enabling high-speed internet with speeds over 200 Mbps, service that is a leap forward in terms of internet speed and latency bringing significant benefits in terms of both crew welfare and business impact.
The agreement comes after a successful pilot phase where crew members on more than 30 Maersk vessels have had the opportunity to test the Starlink technology – resulting in very positive feedback.
Rolls-Royce (OTC: RYCEY) announces the completion of the sale of our Bergen Engines business to Langley Holdings plc for an enterprise value of €63m. The completion of the transaction, which was announced on 3 August 2021, follows the conclusion of work to separate the business from the Group.
Sale proceeds of €91m from the transaction, together with €16m of cash held within Bergen Engines which has been retained by Rolls-Royce, will be used to help rebuild the Rolls-Royce balance sheet in support of our medium-term ambition to return to an investment grade credit profile. In 2020, Bergen Engines generated revenues of approximately €200m with the assets and liabilities of the business presented as held for sale in the Rolls-Royce Holdings plc consolidated balance sheet.
Story by Alicia Cohn from the Denver Business Journal
Flights between Denver and Europe in summer 2022 will increase by 23% compared to the pre-pandemic summer of 2019, according to Denver International Airport. With new flights beginning or resuming in 2022, DIA “is scheduled for more transatlantic capacity than at any other time in the airport’s history,” the airport said in a press release.
DIA offers more than 20 international destinations, and will expand its European offerings in 2022.
Alstom (OTC: ALSMY) and Hitachi Rail have today confirmed that the Hitachi-Alstom High Speed (HAH-S) 50/50 joint venture has signed contracts with High Speed Two (HS2) to design, build, and maintain the next generation of very high speed trains for HS2 Phase 1 as part of the £1.97 billion contract, including an initial 12-year train maintenance contract.
The UK’s two leading train manufacturers will deliver Europe’s fastest operational train, capable of operating at maximum speeds of 225mph (360 km/h), significantly reducing journey times for passengers. The fleet will be 100% electric, and be one of the world’s most energy efficient very high speed trains due to the lower train mass per passenger, aerodynamic design, regenerative power and latest energy efficient traction technology.
In a major boost to grow and rebalance the economy, the HAH-S joint venture will manufacture the 54 trains at newly enhanced facilities in County Durham, Derby and Crewe. The award to the British-based firms will protect and create thousands of green jobs and add £157 million GVA to the UK economy for every year of the train building phase.
The new 200m-long, 8-car trains are set to run in Phase 1 of the project between London and Birmingham, and on the existing network, and will dramatically increase capacity and connectivity between towns and cities across the country including Stoke, Crewe, Manchester, Liverpool, Carlisle, Motherwell and Glasgow. They will have a major impact in reducing carbon emissions from transport by encouraging people away from fossil fuelled cars and planes, and onto rail.
Air Malta has launched its second ‘lifeline schedule’, following the worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic all over Europe. The schedule, intended to ensure essential passenger and cargo connectivity to and from the Maltese Islands to key airports, will commence on Wednesday 27th January.
For now, the lifeline schedule is being introduced until the end of February, however, following evaluations in the coming weeks on developments throughout Europe, Air Malta will consider whether to extend it further.
The National Airline has been at the forefront in efforts to ensure essential passenger connectivity to selected major European cities as well as a continuous connectivity for cargo, mail and essential medical supplies including the COVID-19 vaccine and other resources that are critical to the Islands’ supply chain. It is intended to guarantee peace of mind and stability for the Islands during these uncertain and testing times.
Air Malta will be operating 19 weekly return flights to eight destinations: Amsterdam, Brussels, Catania, Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Rome and Zurich with the below schedule:
The Airline will continue making changes to its flight schedule to maximize capacity whilst ensuring connectivity.
Emirates announced plans to operate its popular A380 aircraft four times a day to London Heathrow from 27 November and six times a week to Manchester from 2 December, and to deploy additional A380 services to Moscow from the current two-a-week, to a daily service from 25 November.
Emirates will also increase flights to Birmingham and Glasgow from the current four-a-week to daily services at both cities, from 27 November and 1 December respectively. Emirates’ services to Manchester will increase from the current eight-a-week to 10 flights per week from 1 December, of which six will be served by an Emirates A380 and four with a Boeing 777-300ER. At London Heathrow, Emirates’ current twice daily A380 and once daily Boeing 777 flights will become four daily A380 services from 27 November.
These represent a significant expansion of Emirates services to the UK, following the recent establishment of the UK-UAE air travel corridor which has led to increased demand. Under the air travel corridor, travellers entering the UK from the UAE will not longer be required to quarantine, which is a boon for travellers, and speaks to the UAE’s rigorous and effective pandemic response. In the other direction, UK travellers heading to Dubai can opt to do their COVID-19 PCR tests 96 hours in advance of their flight, or to do the test on arrival in Dubai, adding to the ease of travel.
Emirates’ enhanced services to Moscow will also meet increased demand from travellers seeking to holiday in Dubai, or at popular island destinations within easy reach through Dubai, such as the Maldives.
Dubai is open for international business and leisure visitors. From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences for visitors. In 2019, the city welcomed 16.7 million visitors and hosted over hundreds of global meetings and exhibitions, as well as sports and entertainment events. Dubai was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.
Flexibility and assurance: Emirates’ booking policies offer customers flexibility and confidence to plan their travel. Customers who purchase an Emirates ticket for travel on or before 31 March 2021, can enjoy generous rebooking terms and options, if they have to change their travel plans. Customers have options to change their travel dates or extend their ticket validity for 2 years.
COVID-19 PCR testing: Emirates customers who require a COVID-19 PCR test certificate prior to departure from Dubai, can avail of special rates at clinics across Dubai by simply presenting their ticket or boarding pass. Home or office testing is also available, with results in 48 hours.
Free, global cover for COVID-19 related costs: Customers can now travel with confidence, as Emirates has committed to cover COVID-19 related medical expenses, free of cost, should they be diagnosed with COVID-19 during their travel while they are away from home. This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until 31 December 2020, and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first sector of their journey. This means Emirates customers can continue to benefit from the added assurance of this cover, even if they travel onwards to another city after arriving at their Emirates destination. For more details: www.emirates.com/COVID19assistance
Health and safety: Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers. For more information on these measures and the services available on each flight, visit: www.emirates.com/yoursafety
Tourist entry requirements: For more information on entry requirements for international visitors to Dubai visit: www.emirates.com/flytoDubai
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government on Wednesday said it would maintain 15% tariffs on Airbus <AIR.PA> aircraft and 25% tariffs on other European goods, despite moves by the European Union to resolve a 16-year-old dispute over aircraft subsidies.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (USTR) said the EU had not taken actions necessary to come into compliance with World Trade Organization decisions, and Washington would initiate a new process to try to reach a long-term solution.
USTR said it would modify its list of $7.5 billion of affected European products to remove certain goods from Greece and Britain and add an equivalent amount from Germany and France.
It ignored calls from EU officials and U.S. lawmakers to drop tariffs on EU food, wine and spirits, but did not add tariffs to vodka, gin and beer as it had threatened.
Airbus said it “profoundly regrets” the U.S. decision to keep tariffs in place on its aircraft.
Washington’s decision to refrain from increasing the tariff rates would help prevent a further escalation, an EU official said, calling for intensified efforts to resolve trade conflicts between the powerful economic blocs.
EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan would continue his active engagement with Lighthizer to reach a negotiated settlement, the official said, noting that the current economic slowdown underscored the urgency of ending the conflict.
Last month, Airbus said it would increase loan repayments to France and Spain in a “final” bid to reverse U.S. tariffs and jog the United States into settling the long-running fight over billions of dollars of aircraft subsidies.
The United States declared itself in full compliance with WTO findings in May after Washington state abolished aerospace industry tax breaks that largely benefited Boeing.
Trade groups are bracing for an escalation of the row in the autumn when the EU is expected to win WTO approval to hit back with its own tariffs over subsidies for Boeing <BA>.
Airbus said in a statement it “trusts that Europe will respond appropriately to defend its interests and the interests of all the European companies and sectors, including Airbus, targeted by these tariffs.”
Boeing urged the EU and Airbus to launch prompt and “meaningful negotiations with the U.S. to address the full scope of their noncompliance and finally bring this case to an end.”
USTR in October 2019 imposed 25% tariffs on an array of EU food, wine and spirits, including Italian cheese and single-malt Scotch whisky in retaliation for EU subsidies on large aircraft.
It initially imposed 10% tariffs on Airbus aircraft but hiked that to 15% in March.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, David Lawder, David Shepardson and Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Chris Reese, Richard Pullin and Tom Brown)
AKARTA (Reuters) – An Indonesian court on Friday jailed Emirsyah Satar, a former chief executive of Garuda Indonesia, for bribery and money laundering related to procurement of planes and engines from Airbus and Rolls-Royce, his laywer said.
Satar’s lawyer Luhut Pangaribuan said his client had been given an eight-year sentence and fined S$2 million ($1.4 million) by the country’s corruption court.
Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had indicted Satar, CEO of Garuda from 2005 to 2014, over payments from a businessman via a third party for the procurement by Garuda Indonesia of Roll-Royce Trent 700 engines and Airbus A320 and A330 planes.
The indictment also related to the procurement of Airbus planes for PT Citilink Indonesia, a unit of Garuda.
In 2017 Rolls-Royce agreed to pay authorities more than $800 million to settle charges after an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department and Britain’s Serious Fraud Office into alleged bribery of officials in six countries in schemes that lasted more than a decade.
Airbus in February this year agreed to pay a record $4 billion in fines after reaching a plea bargain with prosecutors in Britain, France and United States over alleged bribery and corruption stretching back at least 15 years.
Satar, who had previously denied wrongdoing, will decide next week whether to appeal against his sentence, said Pangaribuan.
($1 = 1.4139 Singapore dollars)
(Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by David Goodman)
LONDON (Reuters) – Irish airline Aer Lingus said it was reviewing its social distancing procedures after a flight on Monday was packed with passengers.
European flights have all but come to a standstill during the coronavirus pandemic with only a few services operating for essential travel such as people going to work or being repatriated, or for cargo.
While there is no visibility on when travel restrictions will ease, airlines are considering how to safely restart services and give passengers confidence to fly.
Aer Lingus, owned by IAG <IAG.L>, said it would consider how it operates after its Belfast to London Heathrow flight on Monday had “unexpectedly high loads” and that due to the level of the demand for the route, it could need to make changes.
“Aer Lingus is reviewing its processes and procedures applicable to the operation of this service,” an Aer Lingus spokeswoman said, adding that safety was its top priority.
Some airlines have discussed leaving middle seats empty on flights to enable social distancing, while other airlines such as Germany’s Lufthansa <LHA.DE> and Hungary’s low cost airline Wizz Air <WIZZ.L> have made it compulsory for passengers to wear face masks on flights.
(Reporting by Sarah Young and Ian Graham; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
FILE PHOTO: The Aer Lingus EI-DER Airbus A320 makes its final approach for landing at Toulouse-Blagnac airport
Emirates is set to operate limited passenger services to Frankfurt (02, 04, 06, 09, 11, 13 May), London Heathrow (03, 05, 07, 10, 12, 14 May), Manila (3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 16 May), Sao Paulo (3 May), and Shanghai (2 May). The one-way special flights will facilitate travel for residents and visitors wishing to return home.
Those who wish to travel to Shanghai must contact the embassy or consulate of the People’s Republic of China in the UAE. For all other flights, passengers can book directly on emirates.com or via their travel agent.
Only citizens of the destination countries, and those who meet the entry requirements of the destination will be allowed to board. Customers will be required to follow all health and safety measures required by the UAE authorities and the country of destination.
Similar to other repatriation flights that Emirates has operated thus far, for health and safety reasons, the airline will offer a modified inflight service that reduces contact, and the risk of infection. Magazines and print reading material will not be available. Meals on-board will be served in hygienic prepacked meal boxes, offering customers sandwiches, beverages, snacks, and desserts. A selection of hot snacks will also be served on long-haul flights.
Emirates’ Lounge and Chauffeur Drive services will be temporarily unavailable during this period and in-flight Wi-Fi service is available for purchase only. On board Emirates’ flights, seats are pre-allocated where possible with vacant seats placed between individual passengers or family groups in observance of physical distancing protocols. More information is available on emirates.com.
Cabin baggage will not be accepted on these flights. Carry-on items allowed in the cabin will be limited to laptop, handbag, briefcase or baby items. All other items have to be checked in, and Emirates will add the cabin baggage allowance to customers’ check-in baggage allowance.
Passengers are required to apply social distancing guidelines during their journey and wear their own masks when at the airport and on board the aircraft. Travellers should arrive at Dubai International airport Terminal 3 for check-in, three hours before departure. Emirates’ check-in counters will only process passengers holding confirmed bookings to the above destinations.
All Emirates aircraft will go through enhanced cleaning and disinfection processes in Dubai, after each journey.
