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Double the usual number of flights to the UK are due to leave Portugal as holidaymakers scramble to leave on the last day before the country moves to the amber travel list.

Thirty-nine flights were due to depart from Faro Airport in the Algarve for the UK on Monday, nearly twice as many as are scheduled on a normal day.

Travellers must arrive in the UK before 4am on Tuesday or they will be required to self-isolate at home for 10 days due to a government decision to remove Portugal from its COVID green travel list.

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People wait in queues at Faro airport amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Faro, Portugal, June 6, 2021. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes
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Faro airport had double the normal number of UK flights

Tourists hoping to beat the deadline are being hit by a combination of many flights being sold out, and the handful of available seats being sold at inflated prices.

Ryanair is charging £285 for a flight from Faro to Bournemouth on Monday, but just £17 on Wednesday.

EasyJet flights from Faro to Gatwick are £227 on Monday and £53 on Tuesday.

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Tourists in the Algarve have also reported difficulties obtaining the pre-departure tests required by the government for people arriving in the UK.

Many holidaymakers and travel firms expressed anger when the announcement on Portugal was made last Thursday, as it came just 17 days after the ban on international leisure travel was lifted.

Portuguese authorities also questioned why the UK switched the popular holiday destination from its travel green list to amber, saying they could not “understand the logic”.

People wait in queues at Faro airport amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Faro, Portugal, June 6, 2021. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes
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Many tourists have expressed anger over the changes

The Department for Transport, however, maintained the situation in the country “required swift action to protect the gains made with the vaccine rollout”.

It said the positivity rate for coronavirus tests in Portugal had nearly doubled since the travel lists were first created four weeks earlier.

Separate Test and Trace figures show that of 200 arrivals from Portugal who were tested between 6 May and 19 May, three were positive for COVID-19.

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Hobbycraft-owner Modella circles WH Smith high street chain

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Hobbycraft-owner Modella circles WH Smith high street chain

The owner of Hobbycraft is among a pack of suitors circling WH Smith, the 233-year-old high street chain which has been put up for sale.

Sky News has learnt that Modella Capital, whose executives have previously been involved in retailers including Paperchase and Tie Rack, is one of a handful of parties to have held discussions with WH Smith and its advisers.

The likelihood of Modella completing a deal to acquire the 500-store chain was unclear on Monday.

Modella’s executives include Steve Curtis, whose biography on the firm’s website describes his “successful transactions [as including] Jigsaw, Paperchase, Feather & Black, Rolling Luggage and Tie Rack”.

One of the firm’s investment advisers is Jamie Constable, a prominent turnaround investor who is associated with firms including Rcapital, Quilam Capital and Blazehill Capital.

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City sources said that WH Smith – which confirmed at the weekend that it was considering a sale of the business following a Sky News report – was keen to wrap up a deal during the spring.

The disposal would, if completed, leave London-listed WH Smith as a company focused on its more lucrative travel retail operation in airports, railway stations and hospitals, which comprises about 1,200 stores globally.

Modella is said to be bidding against a number of other experienced retail investors, including the Apollo-backed firm Alteri, which owns the Bensons for Beds chain.

WH Smith, which is being advised by bankers at Greenhill, declined to comment on Monday, while Modella has been contacted for comment.

A sale of its high street arm would mark a watershed moment for the UK high street, which first saw the appearance of the name in 1792.

The business, which specialises in selling items such as greeting cards and stationery, employs about 5,000 people across the country.

Run by Carl Cowling, chief executive, the disposal of its high street arm and repositioning as a pure-play travel retail company was welcomed by investors on Monday, with shares in WH Smith rising by about 2.5%.

The division recorded flat operating profit of £32m last year, with WH Smith’s travel business accounting for 75% of the company’s revenue and 85% of trading profit.

There have been questions about the future of WH Smith’s high street division for many years amid carnage elsewhere in the sector, with the likes of BHS, Debenhams and Comet all ceasing to trade from physical stores in the last 15 years.

Last week, it emerged that roughly 15 WH Smith shops would be closed this year – part of an annual rationalisation of its store estate.

In 2006, the company’s news distribution arm, now known as Smiths News, was demerged into a separate London-listed company.

Reiterating its weekend response to Sky News’s report, WH Smith told the London Stock Exchange on Monday: “WH Smith plc notes the recent press speculation regarding its high street business.

“WHSmith confirms that it is exploring potential strategic options for this profitable and cash-generating part of the group, including a possible sale.

“Over the past decade, WHSmith has become a focused global travel retailer. The group’s travel business has over 1,200 stores across 32 countries, and three-quarters of the group’s revenue and 85% of its trading profit comes from the travel business.

“There can be no certainty that any agreement will be reached, and further updates will be provided as and when appropriate.”

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Luxury yacht-builder Fairline collapses just weeks after sale

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Luxury yacht-builder Fairline collapses just weeks after sale

One of Britain’s biggest luxury boat manufacturers has collapsed into administration less than two months after it was sold to new investors.

Sky News has learnt that Fairline Yachts, which is based in Oundle, Northamptonshire, had fallen into insolvency proceedings after DF Capital, the company’s main lender, triggered the appointment of Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) as administrators.

One staff member said they had been briefed on the news by A&M on Monday morning.

Fairline Yachts is understood to employ about 250 people, with no redundancies being triggered by the insolvency.

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The collapse of Fairline Yachts is surprising because the company was only sold early last month by Hanover Investors to Arrowbolt Propulsion Systems, which was described in an announcement about the deal as a “clean propulsion technology company”.

Further details of that deal were unclear, although the statement in December said that Arrowbolt was appointing Peter Hamlyn, an experienced industry executive, as Fairline Yachts’ new chief executive.

In a statement provided in response to an enquiry from Sky News, Michael Magnay, joint administrator to Fairline Yachts Limited, said: “The business is continuing to trade as usual.

“We are thankful for the support and understanding of staff and there are no redundancies at this time.

“We are actively pursuing a sale of the business and are confident of a substantial amount of interest given the recognised brand and strong heritage.

“We encourage interested parties to make contact with us.”

Read more from Sky News:
Ryanair profits nearly 10 times higher
Hobbycraft owner circles WH Smith

Fairline Yachts’ collapse comes nearly two years after rival Princess Yachts was sold to investor KPS Capital Partners.

Last autumn, Sunseeker, another big player in the sector, was sold to international investors Lionheart Capital and Orienta Capital Partners.

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Ryanair profits nearly 10 times higher as airfares defy expectations

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Ryanair profits nearly 10 times higher as airfares defy expectations

Profits at Europe’s biggest airline are nearly ten times higher than the same time last year as more passengers paid more expensive airfares.

Ryanair‘s profit after tax rose to €149m (£125.36m) in the three months from October to December, up from €15m (£12.62m) the same time a year earlier.

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It is in part due to pricier tickets with customers booking closer to departure time, the low-cost carrier said, despite its forecast fares would fall.

In August Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary told Sky News he estimated fares would drop a further 5% coming into winter.

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Michael O’Leary told Sky News in August that fares would reach 2023 levels.

Fares had fallen 15% in the first three months of Ryanair’s financial year and 7% in the second.

Bucking the trend, the airline on Monday morning said fares rose 1% in the months running up to Christmas.

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Those higher fares were attributed to “stronger close-in Christmas/New Year bookings”.

Despite the fact tickets became more expensive, passenger numbers rose 9%, reaching 45 million.

However, the airline has slashed its passenger forecast once again, blaming aircraft delivery delays from Boeing.

Four million fewer people will fly with Ryanair in the 2026 fiscal year due to ordered planes not arriving, the airline said. The figure would still represent a 3% growth in passenger numbers.

It has revised down its anticipated passenger numbers from 210 million to 206 million as “we no longer expect Boeing to deliver sufficient aircraft” ahead of the summer.

Boeing has been beset by delays as it grappled with safety concerns following the mid-flight door blowout early last year.

The budget airline is Europe’s largest based on the number of aircraft it has and the destinations it serves.

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