A pitch invader managed to handcuff himself to Joe Hart’s goalpost during Everton’s Premier League match against Manchester City at Goodison Park. The match was halted for about five minutes as police had to bring out a set of bolt cutters to pry the agitated man off the pitch.
His reasoning for the protest didn’t seem to have anything to do with the game or the clubs involved, though. He wore an anti-Ryanair shirt in reference to the Dublin-based discount airline and he seems to do quite a bit of protesting against them and their allegedly nefarious recruitment practices. Here’s a video of the same man (apparently his name is John) pleading his case against the airline.
Amadeus admitted some travel agents were still experiencing problems booking flights last night after its computer system crashed for three hours on Monday.
Belgium’s first general strike in almost two decades brought parts of the country to a halt on Monday in an anti-austerity protest aimed at the new government and at EU leaders meeting in Brussels.
Star Alliance carrier Spanair has announced that it is halting all operations today, with the last flight expected to arrive at its Barcelona base at 22:00, after talks with Qatar Airways over a cash-for-shares deal collapsed.
Aircraft engineers in Australia have called for the entire worldwide fleet of Airbus A-380 super-jumbos to be grounded after cracks were found in some wings.
Shares of India’s ailing airlines rose sharply on Wednesday after a government panel recommended that foreign carriers such as British Airways and Singapore Airlines should be allowed to take a stake of up to 49 per cent in local operators.
The entry of foreign airlines, which are currently not allowed to make any investments in India, could provide a vital lifeline to the country’s cash-strapped carriers, analysts said.
Doomsayers will be quick to look at a series of route cancellations from Malaysia-based AirAsia X and proclaim the demise of the modern low-cost long-haul model AirAsia X pioneers. The context for the changes – ending service to London Gatwick, Mumbai, New Delhi and Paris Orly – expands beyond fuel costs, rising taxes in Europe and new visa restrictions in Malaysia. AirAsia X was already struggling in Europe and particularly in India. The recent cross-ownership deal between Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and the AirAsia Group was also clearly a big factor.
In this paper, Vijay Poonoosamy, chair of IATA’s Industry Affairs Committee, examines some of the issues around the European Union’s controversial Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), most notably the need for a global system that will actually serve to reduce emissions – rather than increase international conflict.