Archives: August 2008 cargo news
The News stories below are cargo / freight related stories which made the headlines in August 2008 (other archived months are shown at the bottom of the page).
For all the latest Cargo News, click on the link on the left-hand side menu.
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29/08/08 - Alitalia seeks bankruptcy measure
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Troubled Italian airline Alitalia has applied for bankruptcy protection as it tries to agree a deal to ensure its long-term survival.
The carrier has sought court protection from its creditors, effectively declaring itself insolvent.
An administrator will be appointed to handle the process, with flights continuing while the firm plans a radical overhaul of its operations.
Losing 2m euros (£1.6m) a day, Alitalia has survived on a 300m-euro state loan.
Plans are being drawn up to split the carrier into two and to sell a stake in a new entity to a foreign airline. ukimports.org
29/08/08 - Airline collapse hits thousands
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Hundreds of people have been left stranded and up to 45,000 have lost bookings after the collapse of the low-cost transatlantic airline Zoom.
The carrier suspended all its flights, blaming the economic downturn and steep rises in fuel bills.
Zoom, founded in 2001, flew mainly to Canada from Glasgow, Gatwick, Belfast, Cardiff and Manchester airports.
Zoom said BA and Virgin Atlantic were offering "special" fares for passengers whose flights had been cancelled. ukimports.org
29/08/08 - EU to investigate BA-AA alliance
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)The European Commission has opened an anti-trust investigation into a revenue-sharing deal between British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia.
"It is not a merger investigation and has no specific deadline," a European Commission spokesman said.
Jonathan Todd said the EU initiated the investigation, which will consider if the deal breaches competition rules. It did not follow a specific complaint.
Virgin Atlantic has voiced concern about the deal.
The tie-up is the closest alliance possible under US airline laws, which forbids foreign ownership of major US carriers. ukimports.org
26/08/08 - BMI says Heathrow route is 'safe'
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)An airline says reducing the number of services from Jersey to London Heathrow is not a sign that it is about to pull out of the island.
BMI is stopping its morning commuter flight during its winter timetable and will use smaller planes on the route.
It said such seasonal adjustments to schedules were not uncommon.
Its contract with the States to provide the route has three-and-a-half years left to run. A meeting to review the contract is due to be held next year. ukimports.org
25/08/08 - Start date set for runway inquiry
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Plans to create a controversial second runway at Stansted Airport will be examined at an inquiry starting in April, inspectors have revealed.
Airport owner BAA wants to spend £2bn expanding the site in Essex but local residents and environmental campaigners have challenged the proposals.
Essex County Council said the Planning Inspectorate told them 15 April 2009 had been earmarked as the start date.
It is expected to be held at or near the airport and to last up to a year.
Government ministers are unlikely to make a decision on the second runway until at least 2011. ukimports.org
20/08/08 - BAA 'should sell three airports'
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)BAA may have to sell three of its seven UK airports because of concerns about its market dominance, the Competition Commission has said.
The watchdog is recommending that the airport operator should have to sell two of its three airports in the South East - Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.
It also believes BAA should not be allowed to continue to own airports in both Glasgow and Edinburgh.
BAA said it had "no intention" of selling Heathrow, its largest airport. ukimports.org
20/08/08 - £1.5bn super-port contract signed
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A contract has been signed to build a £1.5bn super-port in the Thames Gateway, creating up to 12,000 jobs.
The London Gateway container port and business park will be built on the former Shell oil refinery site at Shell Haven in the Thames Estuary, Thurrock.
Owner, Dubai Ports (DP) World, says the facility will be the world's most advanced container port and Europe's largest logistics park. ukimports.org
16/08/08 - BAA expects forced airport sales
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)The chairman of the UK's largest airports operator, BAA, has said he expects the Competition Commission to order the break-up of the company.
Sir Nigel Rudd told the BBC's Robert Peston he believed such a decision would not lead to effective competition against BAA's prime airport Heathrow.
Our correspondent said it was likely to mean BAA being forced to sell key airports in England and Scotland. ukimports.org
16/08/08 - Hauliers online to prevent crime
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A website has been launched providing crime reduction advice to hauliers across Norfolk and Suffolk.
TruckWatch aims to reduce truck crime and help protect haulage companies.
The scheme is free to join for any company in the industry, with members receiving information from police and Truckpol, a national intelligence unit.
Details of stolen commercial vehicles are also circulated to make hauliers aware of current crimes and help them look out for the vehicles.
Hold-ups and traffic problems on the trunk roads in Suffolk and Norfolk are also sent out. ukimports.org
Please Note:
A permanent link has been added to the TruckWatch, on this site.This can be found on the 'Other Sites' menu bar on the left-hand side of each page. ukimports.org
15/08/08 - Airports face Bank Holiday strike
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Baggage handlers and check-in staff at Gatwick and Stansted airports are to strike on Bank Holiday Monday in a row over pay, unions say.
At Gatwick, 318 Swissport workers will walk out for 24 hours, halting services at some airlines. A second strike is planned for Friday 29 August.
The staff have rejected a 3% pay offer which the Unite union said was "an insult" and well below inflation.
Workers from two unions at Stansted have also voted to strike.
Unite said industrial action could spread to other airports in the coming weeks.
Workers at Manchester Airport will put the decision to a vote on Monday, and further ballots are expected later at Birmingham and Newcastle airports. ukimports.org
15/08/08 - Heathrow returning to normal
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Services at Heathrow's Terminal 3 are returning to normal after a computer glitch left up to 6,000 passengers unable to enter the building.
The airport's operator BAA said passengers were being checked-in but the process was "slower than normal".
Two flights were cancelled and several others were delayed on Thursday afternoon as the fault caused problems with the baggage and check-in system. ukimports.org
14/08/08 - Illegal cigarettes seized at port
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Customs officers have seized nine million illegal cigarettes which they say were heading for Lancashire.
The cigarettes were found in a container at Felixstowe, Suffolk, which had arrived by ship from Namibia.
It had been marked as charcoal but officers opened the container and the contraband Benson and Hedges Gold cigarettes were found.
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said the load was destined for Burnley. ukimports.org
14/08/08 - Heathrow chaos as computers crash
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A flight was cancelled and thousands of passengers faced delays after a computer glitch caused major disruption at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 3.
People were prevented from entering the terminal as computer screens across the building went blank.
The problem affected the baggage system and check-in and the airport's operator, BAA, warned luggage may have been put on the wrong flights.
An airport spokesman said BAA was "working hard to resolve the issue".
Passengers were advised to contact their airline before travelling. ukimports.org
14/08/08 - BA seals alliance with American
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)British Airways says it has sealed an alliance with American Airlines that will allow the two carriers to agree fares, routes and schedules together.
The move will also include Spain's Iberia, which is merging with BA.
With aviation fuel prices near record levels and spending on air travel slowing, airlines are looking at ways to cut costs.
But the carriers will have to persuade the US that the deal does not break US rules on foreign ownership of airlines. ukimports.org
13/08/08 - (Port re-opens) Operation Stack In Place
- Courtesy of The Ipswich Evening Star (www.eveningstar.co.uk)OPERATION Stack, which had been launched at the Port of Felixstowe due to bad weather, was lifted this evening at 9.30pm.
The port is now fully open for normal business and the stacking area at Levington has been cleared. ukimports.org
13/08/08 - Massive cigarette seizure in Felixstowe
- Courtesy of The Ipswich Evening Star (www.eveningstar.co.uk)AROUND nine million cigarettes have been seized by UK Border Agency officers at Felixstowe.
The seizure, made on August 5, came after officers examined a container that arrived from Namibia.
The contraband was described as charcoal but when officers opened the load they found the containers full of Benson & Hedges Gold cigarettes that were intended for Burnley, Lancashire. ukimports.org
13/08/08 - Inside job probe for £1m cigarette heist
- Courtesy of The Liverpool Echo (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)A £1m CIGARETTE heist at Merseyside docks could have been an “inside job”.
Further details have now been revealed about the elaborate four-hour lorry hijack which resulted in the massive haul being taken from Birkenhead waterfront.
Police said today that knowledge of the dock movements would have been needed to carry out the raid. ukimports.org
13/08/08 - Harbour board to withdraw services and transfer staff
- Courtesy of Kent Online (www.kentonline.co.uk)A row has erupted over a shake-up at Dover Harbour which, it was claimed, could cost scores of jobs.
Furious MP Gwyn Prosser accused the harbour board of betraying its loyal workforce.
The port plans to stop running its dockside operations from early next year.
Instead the jobs, involving quayside services such as berthing gangs and unloading, will be outsourced. ukimports.org
13/08/08 - Major paper fire overnight at Chatham Docks
- Courtesy of The Medway Messenger (www.medwaymessenger.co.uk)Firefighters remain at Chatham Docks this morning after thousands of tons of paper caught alight.
The 999 call came at 7.20pm to the banks of the Medway to tackle the blaze, involving 3,000 tons of paper
The incident, which is currently on going, is being dealt with by 10 appliances from across Kent with specialist units including the Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) in attendance.
Around 100 tons of waste paper were alight, with six jets in use. Crews have been able to save around two-thirds of the paper store. ukimports.org
13/08/08 - Transport firms face extra costs
- Courtesy of The Ipswich Evening Star (www.eveningstar.co.uk)EXTRA charges on containers to pay for the cost of road and rail improvements when Felixstowe port expands will stay in place “for the foreseeable future”.
The port last year imposed a new levy on every full box imported to help raise the money needed to dual part of the rail line between Ipswich and Felixstowe, and for work at the A14 dock spur and A12 Copdock roundabouts to handle increased truck traffic.
Government said the port must pay for the work as part of its permission to expand by turning the Dock Basin and Landguard Terminal into a deepwater terminal to take the world's biggest ships.
It adds enormous costs to the expansion project - £87 million for the rail work alone. ukimports.org
12/08/08 - (Port Closure) Operation Stack In Place
- Courtesy of Felixstowe TV (www.felixstowetv.co.uk)Strong winds have stopped work at the Port of Felixstowe's container terminals, resulting in 'Operation Stack' being implemented on the A14, diverting lorries onto the old A45 at Levington. ukimports.org
11/08/08 - Evacuation halts Heathrow flights
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)An evacuation of Heathrow's air traffic control tower closed the airport's airspace for 40 minutes, leading to flight cancellations and delays.
A fire alert on Sunday evening forced all staff to leave the tower.
British Airways said a "small number of short-haul flights were cancelled as the airspace closure led to knock-on effects with staff not being in place".
The British Airport Authority (BAA), which runs Heathrow, said the evacuation led to some minor delays. ukimports.org
08/08/08 - Lorry driver hijacked on motorway
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A lorry has been hijacked on the M53 near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire in an operation to steal a load of cigarettes from Merseyside's Birkenhead Docks.
Police said the lorry driver, who works for a firm in Preston, was stopped by bogus officials who commandeered his wagon on Thursday.
The lorry's tractor unit was used to take the load of cigarettes to Hapsford near Chester.
The driver of the lorry was then taken to the Humber where he was abandoned. ukimports.org
06/08/08 - Flights resume after jet's drama
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Flights in and out of Newcastle Airport have returned to normal after an RAF jet made an emergency landing when it suffered a birdstrike.
The Tornado, from RAF Marham in Norfolk, was diverted to the airport, where it landed and overshot the runway on Tuesday evening.
Some flights were delayed on Wednesday while the damaged jet was removed.
An airport spokesman said flights returned to normal on Wednesday afternoon after work by recovery teams. ukimports.org
05/08/08 - RAF Tornado jet overshoots runway
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)An RAF jet made an emergency landing at Newcastle Airport after colliding with a bird.
The Tornado, from RAF Marham in Norfolk, was diverted to the airport, where it landed at about 1700 BST and overshot the end of the runway.
An MoD spokesman said the two crew were not seriously injured and an inquiry into the incident would be held.
The airport's runway has partially re-opened, but will not be fully operational until the jet is recovered.
Some flights are operating as usual but others are subject to delays. ukimports.org
05/08/08 - Two planes in airport collision
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Two aircraft have been involved in what has been described as a minor collision at Manchester Airport.
Emergency services rushed to the scene after the wing tip of a Futura Boeing 737 hit the tail of a Lufthansa Airbus A320 while taxiing from Terminal One.
No-one on board the aircraft was hurt in the collision, which ripped about 4ft (1.2m) off one wing tip's fin.
Such incidents "should not happen", an airport spokesman said, although a wing collision happened at the site in 2004.
The airport remained fully operational and there were no delays to other flights as a result of the incident at 1330 BST. ukimports.org
05/08/08 - Pilots union staff set for strike
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Workers employed by the trade union which represents airline pilots are to stage a 24-hour strike after talks over a pensions dispute broke down.
GMB union members from the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) are protesting at changes to their final salary pension scheme.
Some 33 GMB members who work at Balpa offices in West Drayton, near Heathrow, voted by 85% for strike action. ukimports.org
03/08/08 - BA close to American alliance
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)British Airways says it is hopeful of agreeing a tie-up with its largest US rival American Airlines within weeks.
The talks are taking place alongside negotiations between BA and the Spanish airline Iberia about a possible merger. ukimports.org
03/08/08 - Lufthansa resolves wage dispute
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)German airline, Lufthansa, has reached an agreement to end a five-day strike over pay, but warns flights will continue to be disrupted.
The union representing ground staff accepted a 5.1% pay rise this year and a 2.3% increase from July 2009.
However, 130 flights were cancelled on Saturday and Sunday as the airline attempted to clear a backlog of maintenance work.
Lufthansa hopes to reduce the number of cancellations to 40 by Tuesday. ukimports.org
03/08/08 - Bid to restart world trade talks
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Discussions have taken place to try and save the world trade talks which ended without agreement last month, Brazil's president says.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he has spoken to US President George Bush about the issue and intends to consult the Chinese and Indian leaders.
He said he was "optimistic" about the chances of the negotiations restarting.
The talks broke down after India and the US failed to reach agreement over tariffs to protect poor farmers.
The measure would have allowed developing countries to impose a special tariff on some agricultural goods in the event of a drop in prices or a surge in imports. ukimports.org
03/08/08 - Qantas faces special safety probe
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Australian aviation authorities have announced a special review of airline Qantas, after three safety scares in little more than a week.
A Qantas 767 was forced to return to Sydney on Saturday after a fluid leak.
It followed another plane's emergency landing in Manila caused by a hole in its side, and a problem with a landing gear cover on a domestic flight.
Officials said they had no evidence of falling safety standards, but added it was "prudent" to take a closer look.
The investigation will take place over the coming two weeks. ukimports.org
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