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More than 40 flights have been cancelled or diverted because of a lack of staff in air traffic control at Gatwick Airport.

The airport apologised for “any inconvenience caused” and urged passengers to contact their airline for information.

A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport confirmed 42 flights had been cancelled or diverted, while dozens more were heavily delayed on Thursday.

They said: “The situation is however improving with an additional air traffic controller now in place.

“The air traffic control restrictions are reducing as a consequence and more aircraft are able to arrive and depart.”

More than 6,000 passengers are likely to have been affected by the disruption.

National Air Traffic Services (NATS) had earlier said “air traffic control restrictions have been put in place” due to “a short notice staff absence” affecting the air traffic control team at Gatwick.

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“We are working closely with the airport to ensure we can handle flights with as little disruption as possible and we apologise very sincerely to people who have been inconvenienced [as a result of unavoidable diversions],” they said.

One person complained on social media that a flight had been diverted to Bournemouth airport, while another said they had to take off from London Stansted.

Laura Neary, 29, was due to catch a Ryanair flight to Dublin at 5.30pm but it diverted to London Stansted, which she had to travel to by coach.

Ms Neary, who was travelling on her own, said some passengers received text messages saying they would need to take a coach to reach the airport, in Essex, while others were told they could still board the flight from Gatwick.

The sales worker from the Irish capital told the PA news agency: “I don’t even know if I can get back to Dublin tonight.”

What are passengers’ rights when airlines cancel flights?

Airlines have an obligation to keep passengers comfortable in the event of a “significant delay” – with the Civil Aviation Authority setting out a clear definition of what meets this threshold.

You qualify for support if a short-haul flight under 932 miles (1,500km) is pushed back by two hours. This rises to three hours for journeys up to 2,175 miles (3,500km).

For long-haul flights going any further, four hours or longer counts as a significant delay.

In the event of a significant delay, airlines must give passengers:

• A reasonable amount of food and drink

• Refunds for the cost of two free phone calls, faxes or emails

• Accommodation for passengers stranded overnight

• Transport to a hotel – or their home

If airlines are unable to organise support in a timely manner, the Civil Aviation Authority says affected consumers have the right to make their own “reasonable” arrangements – but they must keep receipts in order to be reimbursed.

Typically, airlines have to provide compensation if their flights arrive three hours late – but staffing issues with air traffic control likely do not count because such issues are not their fault.

If you agree to travel on a later flight, the airline is no longer obliged to offer food, drink or accommodation while you wait. But they are entitled to a full refund if they decide to abandon their journey after five hours of delays.

Ryanair boss calls for NATS chief to resign

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary called on NATS chief executive to resign.

“Airlines are paying millions of pounds to NATS each and every year and should not have to see their passengers suffer avoidable delays due to UK ATC staff shortages,” he said.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership – a network of independent travel agents, said: “The situation at Gatwick is unacceptable. This kind of disruption causes havoc for travellers and has huge financial implications for airlines, travel agents and the entire ecosystem.

“There needs to be an urgent inquiry into why there appears to be staff shortages in this crucial area, and measures implemented to stop these incidents occurring again.”

EasyJet ‘very disappointed’

EasyJet said: “We are very disappointed that customers are once again impacted by this – and while this is outside of our control, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused to our customers.

“We are doing all possible to minimise the impact of the disruption, notifying those on cancelled flights of options to rebook or receive a refund, and provided hotel accommodation and meals where required.”

The Sussex airport said it was “working closely with NATS to build resilience in the airport’s control tower to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum”.

“NATS are a world-class provider of air traffic services and London Gatwick’s senior management recognises how hard the airport’s air traffic controllers are working to keep the operation moving,” they added.

Bank holiday disruption

It comes after the NATS control system for the entire UK was hit by a technical glitch over the bank holiday weekend, causing widespread disruption.

More than a quarter of flights to and from UK airports were cancelled, affecting around 250,000 people.

Cancellations continued for two more days as planes and crew were out of position.

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Rory Boland, of consumer group Which?, said: “It is unacceptable that some Gatwick passengers have been hit by further air traffic control problems so soon after the chaos a few weeks ago.

“This is not an issue caused by airlines, but they must meet their legal obligations to look after passengers and provide them with support during delays and help with refunds and re-routing – including with other carriers if necessary.

“To help end this cycle of miserable passenger experiences, the prime minister must play his part and prioritise legislation to give the Civil Aviation Authority stronger enforcement powers.”

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A pub a day to close this year, industry body warns as it calls for cut to tax burden

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A pub a day to close this year, industry body warns as it calls for cut to tax burden

An industry body has warned that the equivalent of more than one pub a day is set to close across Great Britain this year.

According to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), an estimated 378 venues will shut down across England, Wales and Scotland.

This would amount to more than 5,600 direct job losses, the industry body warns. It has called for a reduction in the cumulative tax and regulatory burden for the hospitality sector – including cutting business rates and beer duty.

The body – representing members that brew 90% of British beer and own more than 20,000 pubs – said such measures would slow the rate at which bars are closing.

BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said that while pubs are trading well, “most of the money that goes into the till goes straight back out in bills and taxes”.

“For many, it’s impossible to make a profit, which all too often leads to pubs turning off the lights for the last time,” she said.

“When a pub closes, it puts people out of a job, deprives communities of their heart and soul, and hurts the local economy.”

She urged the government to “proceed with meaningful business rates reform, mitigate these eye-watering new employment and EPR (extended producer responsibility) costs, and cut beer duty”.

“We’re not asking for special treatment, we just want the sector’s rich potential unleashed,” she added.

Read more:
What is a wealth tax and how would it work in the UK?

Is a comeback on for the British pub?
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The government has said it plans to reform the current business rates system, saying in March that an interim report on the measure would be published this summer.

From April, relief on property tax – that came in following the COVID-19 pandemic – was cut from 75% to 40%, leading to higher bills for hospitality, retail and leisure businesses.

The rate of employer National Insurance Contributions also rose from 13.8% to 15% that month, and the wage threshold was lowered from £9,100 to £5,000, under measures announced by Rachel Reeves in the October budget.

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Trump fires tariff threats at more nations as EU ‘ready for all scenarios’

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Trump fires tariff threats at more nations as EU 'ready for all scenarios'

Donald Trump has revealed a list of more nations set to face delayed ‘liberation day’ tariffs from 1 August.

He has threatened tariffs of 30% on Algeria, 25% on Brunei, 30% on Iraq, 30% on Libya, 25% on Moldova and 20% on the Philippines. Sri Lanka was later told it faced a 30% duty.

Letters setting out the planned rates – and warning against retaliation – are being sent to the leaders of each country.

Money latest: HMRC issues 600,000 fines to people who owe no tax

They were the latest to be informed of the president‘s plans after Japan and South Korea were among the first 14 nations to be told of the rates they must pay on their general exports to the US from 1 August.

The duties are on top of sectoral tariffs, covering areas such as steel and cars, already in place.

Mr Trump further warned, on Tuesday, that a 50% tariff rate on all copper imports to the US was looming.

More on Tariffs

He has also threatened a 200% rate on pharmaceuticals and is also expected to take aim at all imports of semiconductors too.

The European Union, America’s largest trading partner in combined trade, services and investment, is expected to get a letter within the next 48 hours unless further progress is made in continuing talks.

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Who will be positively impacted by the UK-US trade deal?

The bloc, which Mr Trump has previously claimed was created to “screw” the US, has been in negotiations with US officials for weeks and working to agree a UK-style truce by the end of the month.

The EU has retaliatory tariffs ready to deploy from 14 July but it is widely expected to delay them until such time that any heightened US duties are imposed.

Read more from Sky News:
Nvidia is world’s first $4trn listed firm
Greater risk to UK economy from Trump tariffs, BoE warns
What is a wealth tax and how would it work?

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Trump to visit UK ‘in weeks’

It remains hopeful of a deal in the coming days but European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament: “We stick to our principles, we defend our interests, we continue to work in good faith, and we get ready for all scenarios.”

While the UK’s so-called deal with Mr Trump is now in force, it remains unclear whether steelmakers will have to pay a 50% tariff rate, deployed by the US against the rest of the world, as some final details on an exemption are yet to be worked out.

The rate is currently 25%.

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Nvidia wins race to become first $4trn listed company

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Nvidia wins race to become first trn listed company

Nvidia has become the first stock market-listed company to achieve a value of $4trn.

Its share price rose by more than 2% at the market open on Wall Street to reach the milestone moment.

It was achieved just over a year since Nvidia overcame the $3trn barrier and overtook Apple, in market cap terms, in the process.

The AI-focused chipmaker has been the darling of Wall Street for many years.

Money latest: HMRC issues 600,000 fines to people who owe no tax

The value of its shares has risen by 409,825% since its market debut in 1999.

Its status has been cemented thanks to the rush for AI technology – suffering several wobbles along the way – but nothing significant when you refer to the percentage rise of the past 26 years.

More on Nvidia

The most recent pressures have come from the emergence of the low-cost chatbot DeepSeek and concerns for global AI demand as a result of Donald Trump’s trade war hitting growth.

Financial markets have been taking a more risk-on approach to the trade war since the delays to “liberation day” tariffs in April.

It’s explained by a market trend that’s become known as the TACO trade: Trump always chickens out.

Nvidia hits $4trn valuation
Image:
The milestone is reported by Sky’s US partner CNBC, seen on screens at the New York Stock Exchange. Pic: Reuters

It has helped US stock markets post new record highs in recent days.

The wave of optimism is down to the fact that the president is yet to follow through with the worst of his threatened tariffs on trading partners.

Corporations are also yet to report big hits to their earnings – a fact that is also propping up demand for shares.

If Mr Trump does go all-out in his trade war, as he has now threatened from 1 August, then that $4trn market value for Nvidia – and wider stock markets – could be short-lived, at least in the short term.

But market analysts believe Nvidia’s value has further to go.

Read more from Sky News:
Greater risk to UK economy from Trump tariffs, BoE warns
What is a wealth tax and how would it work?

Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said of its meteoric rise: “Once known for powering video games, NVIDIA has transformed into a foundational player in AI infrastructure.

“Its high-performance chips now drive everything from natural language processing to robotics, making them essential to training and deploying advanced AI models.

“Beyond hardware, its full-stack ecosystem – including software platforms and developer tools – helps companies scale AI quickly and efficiently. This end-to-end approach has positioned Nvidia as a cornerstone in a market where speed, scalability, and efficiency are critical.”

He added: “The key question is where it goes from here, and while it might seem strange for a company that’s just passed the $4trn mark, Nvidia still looks attractive.

“Growth is expected to slow, and it’s likely to lose some market share as competition and custom solutions ramp up. But trading at a relatively modest 32 times expected earnings, and over 50% top-line growth forecast this year, there’s still an attractive opportunity ahead.

“For investors, it remains a compelling way to gain exposure to the AI boom – not just as a participant, but as one of its architects.”

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