Money Buzz! Europa

Tag: dublin

  • Ryanair reported losses after summer season for the first time in the last 30 years

    Ryanair reported losses after summer season for the first time in the last 30 years

    Ryanair reported losses of 226 million euros in the third quarter of 2020, compared to a profit of 910 million euros in the same period in 2019, amid travel restrictions imposed by European Union governments.

    It is the first time in the last 30 years that the Irish airline has reported losses in the summer season.

    Revenue fell by 78% to €1.18bn as traffic fell 80% to 17.1m. With almost zero Q1 traffic, the vast majority of H1 revenue was earned in Q2.

    On Monday, Ryanair shares were down 1%, while low-cost airline easyJet and International Airlines Group (owner British Airways) fell by more than 5% after the British government imposed a new national lockdown.

  • Screwfix to open 40 new stores this year. 400 new jobs

    Screwfix to open 40 new stores this year. 400 new jobs

    Screwfix to open 40 stores this year, creating around 400 new jobs. 30 new stores are planned for the UK and 10 for Ireland.

    30 new stores in the UK will create up to 300 jobs in areas such as retail management, service assistants and supervisor roles, by the end of January 2021.

    More than 10 stores are planned in the Republic of Ireland, which will create up to 160 jobs over the same period.

    Screwfix has more than 680 stores, with a long-term target of 800 in the UK.

    Screwfix currently has five stores in Ireland, which opened in early 2020 and plans to open up to 40 stores in the country over the coming years, creating around 400 jobs in total.

  • Endava acquired Ireland based company Comtrade Digital Services

    Endava acquired Ireland based company Comtrade Digital Services

    Endava announced the acquisition of the Comtrade Digital Services business. CDS, with its headquarters in Dublin, Ireland and delivery centres across the Adriatic.

    CDS is a provider of strategic software engineering services and solutions and serves clients predominantly in the European Union but also elsewhere in Europe and in the United States.

    EU clients accounted for approximately 85% of CDS’s revenue for the calendar year 2019 with the remainder coming from non-EU Europe and the US.

    The transaction is expected to be earnings enhancing in year one.

    CDS works with big brands, including Raiffeissen and Addiko Bank in financial services, Paysafe Group in Payments, ConsenSys in TMT, Datalex, Aer Lingus, ADBSafegate and HRS in travel, Itron and STEM in energy, the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia in Government.

    The company has a highly skilled workforce with approximately 460 technical staff and delivery centres located in Slovenia, Serbia and Bosnia.

  • SoapBox Labs, one of Europe’s hottest startups, raises a $6.5 million investment

    SoapBox Labs, one of Europe’s hottest startups, raises a $6.5 million investment

    SoapBox Labs, developer of safe and accurate voice technology for kids, announced a Series A investment of $6.5M from Elkstone Capital, Astia, and a number of private investors.

    Named one of Europe’s hottest startups by Wired UK in 2019, SoapBox Labs was founded by Dr. Patricia Scanlon, whose popular TEDx talk explains the ways in which technology can “transform a child’s reading journey.” In 2018, Scanlon was named to Forbes list of Top 50 Women in Tech globally.

    “SoapBox is at the nexus of some big trends right now – remote learning, voice, kidtech and data privacy,” said Scanlon. “We’ve invested deeply over the last 7 years in our people and our technology. With this funding we’re poised to capitalise on our strengths and the global market opportunities opening up to us in literacy, language learning and toys.”

    SoapBox Labs’ proprietary high accuracy speech recognition technology caters to the idiosyncrasies and unique speech patterns of children that traditional speech technology is unable to decode.

    Built from the ground up by a team of world-renowned speech recognition and AI experts, SoapBox Labs’ age-appropriate, privacy-driven voice technology powers third party digital games, literacy, and English language learning offerings for children.

  • 93% of Ryanair flights arrived on time in January

    93% of Ryanair flights arrived on time in January

    • 93% of January flights arrived on-time (up from 89% January 2019) excl. ATC delays;
    • ATC staff shortages delayed 1,975 Ryanair flights in January (3%).

    Ryanair also released its January ‘Rate My Flight’ customer experience scores, which show 89% of over 104,000 respondents rated their flight ‘Excellent/Very Good/Good’, with high ratings for crew friendliness (93%), onboard service (91%), range of food & drink (85%), and boarding (85%).

    Ryanair’s Kenny Jacobs said: ”Ryanair Group Airlines carried over 10.8m customers in January with over 93% of our 62,000 flights arriving on-time excl. ATC delays. While these ATC delays improved significantly in January, there is still a needless impact on our punctuality – with France, Germany and Portugal as the worst affected countries. However, our industry-leading performance continues with improved year-on-year punctuality.”

    Mr. Jacobs added: ”We’re satisfied that 89% of customers surveyed (over 104,000) rated their Ryanair flight in January as ‘Excellent/Very Good /Good’ using Ryanair’s Rate My Flight feature, which allows all customers to provide real-time reviews of their flights via the Ryanair app and email. We welcome this feedback, which encourages us to continuously improve our customer service.”

  • ADL enters agreement with NTA Ireland for up to 600 double-deck buses

    ADL enters agreement with NTA Ireland for up to 600 double-deck buses

    Alexander Dennis Limited (“ADL”) signed a framework agreement with the Republic of Ireland’s National Transport Authority (NTA) for the delivery of up to 600 Enviro400ER double deck hybrid buses, capable of running in zero emission mode for at least 2.5 kilometres. The agreement includes an initial firm order for 100 buses.

    The single supplier framework agreement covers the purchase of double deck diesel-electric hybrid buses and will run for up to five years. ADL was selected in a comprehensive procurement process in which the company provided the most economically advantageous offer.

    The first 100 buses, awarded on a firm contract, are to be delivered in autumn 2020 and the NTA will be able to exercise options for a further 500 vehicles to reflect vehicle requirements over the coming years, representing a significant addition to ADL’s backlog.

    The Enviro400ER is a double deck diesel-electric hybrid, capable of at least 2.5 kilometres continuous electric range with no exhaust emissions. It utilises the BAE Systems Series-ER hybrid system with a 32kWh next-generation lithium-ion battery energy storage system that can be charged externally via a plug-in connection, meeting the requirements of the European Union’s Clean Vehicles Directive.

    In addition to its continuous zero tailpipe emissions range, the Enviro400ER switches off its diesel engine at low speeds during approach to and departure from stops and when stationary.

    The buses will be 11.0 metres long and will have City style bodywork which has been adapted to suit requirements in the Republic of Ireland.

    The first 100 buses will seat 66 passengers and will have separate spaces for wheelchair users and passengers travelling with buggies. The framework agreement provides the opportunity to adjust the specifications of further vehicles to suit other operating requirements.

  • Zephyrus Aviation Capital closes $350M warehouse finance facility

    Zephyrus Aviation Capital closes $350M warehouse finance facility

    Zephyrus Aviation Capital closed on a $350 million warehouse finance facility with Deutsche Bank AG, New York Branch, acting as the sole structuring agent and lead arranger, with aircraft scheduled to be placed into the facility in the coming days and weeks.

    This is the first warehouse facility for Zephyrus and follows the successful launch of the company’s ZCAP 2018-1 ABS facility a little over a year ago. The closing also comes on the heels of a year in which the organization undertook significant growth and expansion.

    “After the success of our initial ABS, it was a pleasure to once again work with Deutsche Bank and our other partners on this warehouse facility, as this continuity allows us to more efficiently execute our business growth and development plans. This new facility, coupled with our highly skilled team and existing equity, will enable us to be even more responsive in providing solutions in the mid- to late-life aircraft market,” said Zephyrus President and CEO, Damon J. D’Agostino.

    Working closely with Deutsche Bank, the parties were able to craft a facility that is specially designed for mid- to older-life aircraft and the unique financing opportunities that they present.

    Who is Zephyrus Aviation Capital

    Launched in 2018, Zephyrus is led by a highly-skilled executive team and backed by Virgo Investment Group, a private investment firm based in the San Francisco Bay area.

    Zephyrus is an aircraft and engine leasing and trading company led by a team of industry veterans and focused on aircraft which are in the mid to mature stage of their lifecycle. 

    The company is a fleet management solutions provider with a customer-centric approach that creates value for all stakeholders. 

  • AerCap signs lease agreement with AirSial for 3 Airbus A320 aircraft

    AerCap signs lease agreement with AirSial for 3 Airbus A320 aircraft

    AerCap Holdings announced it has signed an agreement with AirSial Limited, a privately-owned Pakistani startup airline, for the lease of three used Airbus A320 aircraft. The aircraft are scheduled to deliver in the second quarter of 2020 and will be the first aircraft to be delivered to the airline.

    Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap, said, “For more than a decade, AerCap has been the biggest aircraft lessor in the fast growing Pakistani aviation sector and we are very pleased to support a new startup airline, AirSial. With the rapid growth in air traffic in Pakistan as well as air liberalization, AirSial is well positioned to take advantage of this opportunity. We wish AirSial every success with their new venture and we look forward to working with the AirSial team as these aircraft deliver. ‘Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success’.”

    Fazal Jilani, Chairman of AirSial Limited, said, “I would like to congratulate and thank AerCap on this auspicious occasion for not only recognizing the potential of the Pakistan aviation market but also showing their firm belief in the Sialkot business community. We at AirSial, along with AerCap, will take our new partnership to the highest of standards and together make AirSial ‘The Pride of Pakistan’.”

    AerCap, global leader in aircraft leasing

    AerCap is the global leader in aircraft leasing with 1,360 aircraft owned, managed or on order and $43.5 billion of total assets as of September 30, 2019. 

    The company serves approximately 200 customers in approximately 80 countries with comprehensive fleet solutions and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (AER) and has its headquarters in Dublin.