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17/07/2022

Union calls for heat limit law in workplaces
A union has called for a legal limit on how hot it can be in a workplace ahead of a red warning for extreme heat.

The GMB union said workers should not have to contend with temperatures any higher than 25C, as forecasters predict a record high of 41C (106F) in England.

The Met Office's highest warning covers an area including London, Manchester and York on Monday and Tuesday.

There is currently no law in the UK or Ireland which states any given temperature is too hot or cold to work.

But workplaces should ideally be at least 16C - or 13C if the job is mostly physical - according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Responding to the call for a legal maximum, an HSE spokesperson said: "There is no maximum workplace temperature because every workplace is different.

The GMB says workers need protection as a red warning for extreme heat in parts of England is due to begin.

12/07/2022

Kingfisher tycoon Vijay Mallya sentenced to jail in India
India's top court has sentenced tycoon Vijay Mallya to four months in jail for disobeying an earlier court judgement linked to the collapse of his airline.

India has previously made efforts to extradite the former billionaire, who is believed to still be in London.

He made his fortune selling beer under the Kingfisher brand before branching out into aviation and Formula 1 racing.

Kingfisher Airlines was India's second largest domestic carrier before it collapsed a decade ago.

On Monday, India's Supreme Court found Mr Mallya guilty of contempt, as it said he failed to disclose his assets after defaulting on a loan.

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He was found guilty of the same offence in 2017 for allegedly transferring $40m to his children, even as loans to Kingfisher Airlines remained unpaid, the court said at that time.

India has made efforts to extradite the former billionaire, who is believed to still be in London.

10/07/2022

Paradise reopened - Bali hopes for tourists to return
From his home high atop the cliffs overlooking Bali's resort district of Jimbaran, German expat Pak Kriss has a perfect, unobstructed view of the island's international airport.

Composed of a single runway stretching out into the ocean, Mr Kriss notes that at its pre-pandemic peak, it handled some 700 flights a day, ushering more than 6.3 million international tourists a year to the Indonesian island.

"Then, one day… nothing," he says with a sweep of his hands. He expected it to last a few weeks, but it went on for two years.

In 2020 the island received just one million foreign visitors, almost all before Bali and the rest of the world went into lockdown in March of that year. Then in 2021 the island reportedly saw just 45 overseas tourists. Yes, just 45 people.

The Indonesian island wants holidaymakers to come back as it reopens after two years.

07/07/2022

British Airways to cancel 10,300 more flights
British Airways is to cut 10,300 more short-haul flights due to feature in its schedule between August and the end of October.

This latest announcement means nearly 30,000 flights will have been removed from BA's schedule between April and October this year.

The cancellations affect London Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports.

The industry has struggled with staff shortages as demand for air travel has rebounded after Covid restrictions.

"The whole aviation industry continues to face into significant challenges and we're completely focused on building resilience into our operation to give customers the certainty they deserve," BA said.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said the latest cancellations were a "damning indictment" of BA's failure to manage its summer flight schedule.

"BA has continued to promote and sell flights it could not fulfil, even as thousands of customers have faced the chaos of cancellations in recent weeks," he said.

These flight cancellations come ahead of Friday's deadline, announced last month by the Department for Transport (DfT), for an amnesty to give airlines a short window to hand back, without facing the usual penalty, any airport slots in the summer season they are not confident they will be able to operate.

The intention is to reduce the chances of disruption and late-notice cancellations over the summer by making schedules more resilient.

Airport slots provide airlines with the authorisation to take off or land at a specified time on a specified day. In usual circumstances, the carriers would risk losing the slots - and taking a hit to their business - if they cancel flights.

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Ryanair said in a statement that it was against the amnesty, blaming other airlines for the situation they found themselves in.

"We do not support this latest slot waiver regulation from the UK government, which has been handed out for the benefit of airlines who failed to adequately prepare for the return of air travel post Covid," the statement said.

"These slot waivers will lead to fewer flights and reduced connectivity, which will ultimately harm competition and lead to higher fares for hard-pressed UK consumers," it said.

Ryanair added that it was operating its full flight schedule this summer, with no disruptions due to staffing shortages.

But BA said the new flexibility offered by the amnesty meant it could "further reduce our schedule and consolidate some of our quieter services so that we can protect as many of our holiday flights as possible".

"While most of our flights are unaffected and the majority of customers will get away as planned, we don't underestimate the impact this will have and we're doing everything we can to get their travel plans back on track," the airline said.

The airline says the cancellations will affect short-haul flights between August and the end of October.

22/06/2022