BRITISH SCAREWAYS
Thousands of holidaymakers face woes due to engine troubles on five British Airways Boeing jets
BA are said to have demanded compensation from Rolls-Royce
THOUSANDS of holidaymakers face woes due to engine troubles on five British Airways jets.
The airline axed flights from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi last month over engine issues on one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
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The Sun can now reveal a further four planes of the same type have been taken out of use over the same problems with Rolls-Royce engines.
BA bosses now fear thousands of flights being cancelled or re-routed, and are said to have demanded compensation from Rolls-Royce.
The troubles cap off a terrible year for Boeing, which has been engulfed in scandal after a door-peg blew out mid-air on a US flight last January.
Supply chain delays at Rolls-Royce have sparked fears the planes, currently grounded at Heathrow, will be out of action for a year.
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Passengers who have already booked onto affected flights will be forced to fly longer routes or from different airports — and could have to pay even more to reach their destinations.
Meanwhile, The Sun understands BA is harvesting parts for parts from one grounded 787-Dreamliner to keep other planes flying.
It comes after the national carrier axed services from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur and reduced frequencies to eight other major cities over “durability issues” with Rolls-Royce Trent 1,000 engines.
Virgin Atlantic has also had to ground and cancel some flights over issues with the Rolls-Royce engines.
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Its boss, Shai Weiss, said in November the issues “started with the launch of the plane.
"The Trent 1000 has not been a good engine.”
British Airways launches new safety video that people are likening to a mini Bridgerton
Rolls-Royce said: “The engine’s reliability is proven, with over 20million in-service flying hours since 2011.”
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HOLIDAY WETHER
FOUR Wetherspoons are opening at Haven holiday parks after punters flocked in for budget booze.
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Gill and Andy Bishop enjoyed a coffee at new Wetherspoons The Five Stones at Haven’s Primrose Valley, Filey, North Yorkshire.
The boozer revealed plans to open four more sites on Haven camps, at Cleethorpes Beach, Lincs, Devon Cliffs in Devon, a third in Kent and at Haggerston Castle, Northumberland, as part of a £6.7million investment by Haven.
AMAZON STEPS UP ITS GAME
AMAZON is turning back the clock to on-foot deliveries in a “back to the future” style drive by the trillion dollar tech giant.
The online retailer last night revealed that its latest breakthrough includes “deliveries on foot with carts”, with the set-up looking a lot like a traditional postie with a parcel trolley.
Amazon said that the walking delivery workers, focused in central London, would help with its “zero-exhaust emission deliveries”.
It is also a clever answer to the city’s pricey congestion charge zones.
It will also start using Britain’s rail network to move more than 20 million products as a way of reducing its lorries on our roads.
It will load products onto the West Coast main lIne between Scotland and the Midlands with products picked up from stations and sorted at local warehouses.
It is also taking on 148 electric trucks to cut carbon emissions.
GSK IN US £940M BID
DRUG giant GSK is buying US cancer drug firm IDRX for up to £940million.
The Massachusetts-based firm specialises in treatments for rare stomach and intestine tumours.
Under boss Dame Emma Walmsley, GSK has been focusing on “bolt-on” takeovers of biotech firms in targeted areas.
GSK is the UK’s second biggest drugmaker after ASTRAZENECA.
TAX TO KO TOURISM INDUSTRY
THE hospitality industry has slammed a potential tourist tax as a “true lose-lose” situation for the UK.
Holidaymakers could be hit with the levy when staying in UK campsites, hotels and B&Bs under government plans to boost its coffers.
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The Chancellor is said to be considering a country-wide “hotel tax” of at least £1 per person per night, irrespective of whether they are foreign or British guests.
Some European cities like Paris and Venice charge tourist taxes on rooms, with pricier charges for five-star hotels.
However, the hospitality industry said the UK is already at a disadvantage after scrapping tax-free shopping for overseas investors.
Kate Nicholls, boss of UKHospitality, said: “An additional charge would not only put off overseas visitors but also disincentivise Brits from taking breaks in the UK – it would be a true lose-lose.
“The idea would inflict damage on the UK’s tourism and hospitality sectors.”
JOBS AXE A SIGN OF WOBBLES
PAGEGROUP the recruiter has cut its profit forecasts and axed more of its own workers in fresh signs of a weakening jobs market.
Boss Nicholas Kirk said uncertainty had hit demand in Europe with firms taking longer over hiring decisions.
PageGroup confirmed that it had cut another 130 jobs in the last three months while Mr Kirk said it was continuing “to review our fee earner headcount”.
It still employs 5,370 people around the globe.
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PageGroup lowered its earning forecasts to the “lower end” of its £49million to £58million range.
The firm posted a 17.2 per cent drop in profits to £196.7million in the last quarter of 2024.
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