Travel News

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has advised air travellers to plan for flight delays to Port Harcourt following an incident involving an Air Peace aircraft.

The FAAN issued the advisory in a statement on Sunday, signed by Obiageli Orah, director of public affairs and consumer protection.

An Air Peace plane, on Sunday morning, reportedly veered off the runway after landing at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

The airline, in a statement, said all passengers disembarked safely, with no injuries recorded.

Speaking on the development, the FAAN said flight P47190, with registration number 5N-BQQ, took off from Lagos and arrived at the Port Harcourt International Airport around 7:45 am.

“The aircraft overshot runway 03 upon landing. We are relieved to report that there were no casualties,” the authority said.

“Evacuation of the 127 passengers has been completed safely with no casualties.

“In the interim, please plan for flight delays for any departing flights to Port Harcourt.”

The FAAN said additional information would be shared as it becomes available, while reaffirming its commitment to ensuring passenger safety and security.

Luxury flats at the top of The Shard have been left empty after Rachel Reeves’s non-dom tax raid drove away wealthy buyers, the property’s Qatari backers say.

Real Estate Management (Rem), which is owned by the State of Qatar, said that it was “very disappointed” with lack of progress made on letting out 10 luxury flats on the 72-storey skyscraper’s upper levels, which are priced at between £30m and £50m each.

Rem said Ms Reeves’s tax changes for wealthy individuals was “driving many such investors away” from Britain and hammering demand for ultra-expensive property.

“The long-heralded change in UK tax rules applied to overseas residents, which were accelerated by the current UK administration to apply from April 2025, [has] had the feared impact of driving many such investors away from the UK to escape double taxation of their worldwide income,” it said in accounts.

“This group of wealthy overseas investors has been the core constituency for super-prime lettings in the UK.”

Ms Reeves abolished the non-dom status in April this year, while also bringing in sweeping inheritance tax changes. Those changes have been blamed for driving some of Britain’s wealthiest people away from the country.

The flats, on floors 53 to 65 of The Shard, were thought to have been priced between £30m and £50m after the skyscraper opened in 2012.

They have been empty ever since, amid speculation that Qatar’s royal family kept the flats for their own use while visiting London.

Rem is an investment adviser tasked with letting out the flats. The properties are owned by another Qatar-backed entity, LBQ Four.

The flats were made available for occupation in late 2023 after undergoing construction works, but despite “every effort” to let them their availability coincided with a “severe contraction” in the ultra-prime property market, Rem said.

Rem’s portfolio includes the Shard Quarter, The News Building and Park House on Oxford Street. It also owns The Shard’s viewing gallery, which has reported “difficult trading”.

Qatari Diar, the property division of the state’s sovereign wealth fund, bought 80pc of the skyscraper in 2008 after the project ran into financial difficulties. It later increased its stake to 95pc, with developer Sellar Property Group owning the remainder.

The difficulties at The Shard capped off a difficult period for Rem, with pre-tax profit falling from £8.1m to £7.5m in the year ending December 2024.

Rem also said it was struggling with recruiting and keeping skilled managerial and building staff, as well as the workforces of business partners contracted to undertake services across its property portfolio.

Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Donald Trump’s tariffs and falling commercial property values had created a “brew of uncertainty, investor hesitancy and a lack of stability”, it said.

The Treasury and Rem have both been contacted for comment.

BY Olasunkanmi Akinlotan and Princess Etuk

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has asked passengers to expect flight disruptions and delays following a Sunday morning flight incursion that occurred at the Harcourt International Airport runway.

The PUNCH earlier reported how Air Peace aircraft, operating Flight P47190 from Lagos to Port Harcourt, experienced a runway excursion upon landing at the Port Harcourt Airport.

The airline’s spokesperson, Osifo-Whiskey Efe, told The PUNCH that aside from veering off the runway, all passengers and crew members disembarked unhurt from the aircraft.

The airline last recorded an incident in May 2025, when one of its aircraft collided with a large antelope on the runway at the Asaba airport. The impact decimated the animal but did not stop the aircraft from flying to Abuja.

In a statement, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at FAAN, Obiageli Orah, said the evacuation of the 127 passengers was completed safely with no casualties.

She said, “Air Peace flight P47190, registration number 5N-BQQ, departed from Lagos and landed at Port Harcourt International Airport at approximately 0745 hours.”

“The aircraft overshot runway 03 upon landing.

“We are relieved to report that there were no casualties. Evacuation of the 127 passengers has been completed safely with no casualties. In the interim, please plan for flight delays for any departing flights to Port Harcourt. Further details will be provided as they become available. FAAN remains committed to the safety and security of the passengers.”

While speaking on the development, Air Peace official, Efe, said, “Air Peace confirms that its Flight P47190, operating from Lagos to Port Harcourt this morning, had a runway excursion after landing safely at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

“The aircraft veered slightly off the runway without any damage. All passengers disembarked safely and calmly, and no injuries were reported.”

 The airline spokesperson, however, reassured passengers of “unflinching commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety in all our operations.”

Germany has agreed to let some UK airline passengers breeze through passport e-gates at its airports by the end of August, as announced by the Cabinet Office on Thursday. Initially, this fast-track entry will be available for frequent travellers.

The full roll-out for all UK nationals is on the horizon once Germany completes updates to its systems, paving the way for the EU's much-anticipated Entry/Exit System (EES). The agreement is part of a bilateral treaty signed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during Merz's inaugural official trip to the UK.

Post-Brexit, UK holidaymakers have typically faced queuing at manned desks for passport checks at EU airports, missing out on the swift automated gates equipped with facial recognition technology. This has resulted in lengthy waits, especially during busy travel times.

The change is seen as a significant step in addressing one of Brexit's most tangible consequences. A UK-EU summit in May confirmed that there are no legal hurdles preventing UK citizens from using EU e-gates.

Following this, the Cabinet Office said that Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Portugal had already expanded e-gate access for British travellers.

EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said: "E-gates can make the slog of travelling through an airport that bit easier, which is why I have been working with the EU and member states to get more airports opened up to Brits abroad."

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "We're pioneering a new era of European rail connectivity and are determined to put Britain at the heart of a better-connected continent.

"The Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie - in just a matter of years, rail passengers in the UK could be able to visit these iconic sites direct from the comfort of a train, thanks to a direct connection linking London and Berlin."

She also highlighted the transformative potential of the agreement, which aims to offer millions a "faster, more convenient and significantly greener alternative to flying" for travel between the UK and Germany.

In May, the UK and Switzerland penned a memorandum of understanding to tackle obstacles hindering a direct rail connection. Shortly after, Eurostar revealed ambitions for new routes that would directly link the UK with Germany and Switzerland.

The company has put forward plans to operate trains from London St Pancras International to Frankfurt and Geneva starting in the "early 2030s". Travellers could expect journey times of around five hours to Frankfurt and five hours and 20 minutes to Geneva.

Currently, Eurostar enjoys exclusive rights to operate passenger services through the Channel Tunnel, yet various groups are crafting strategies to introduce competing services.

Nigerian travellers are seeking alternative destinations following fresh visa restrictions by the United States of America, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Canada. The UAE recently imposed tougher entry conditions on Nigerian travellers and banned transit visa applications entirely. Similarly, Canada recently raised proof of funds to N17 million for express entry applicants. 

Also, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria said Nigerians seeking to travel to the nation on non-immigrant visas will now receive single-entry three-month permits, ratheNigerian travellers are seeking alternative destinations following fresh visa restrictions by the United States of America, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Canada. 

The UAE recently imposed tougher entry conditions on Nigerian travellers and banned transit visa applications entirely. Similarly, Canada recently raised proof of funds to N17 million for express entry applicants. 

Also, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria said Nigerians seeking to travel to the nation on non-immigrant visas will now receive single-entry three-month permits, rathe

Story by Rachael Burford

London businesses are being fined almost £1million a month for hiring illegal workers as Home Office raids are stepped up, figures have revealed.

Almost 40 firms in the capital were handed combined penalties totalling £2,780,000 in the last three months of 2024, Home Office data shows.

The latest raids by immigration officers on a central London shop revealed the premises being entirely run by people in the country illegally.

Staff members on shift at Strand News were found to have overstayed their visas when officers visited on March 6 and March 18.

One man, from India, had entered the country in 2009 on a student visa and told the Home Office he was being paid £45 a day to work.

Raids targeting people smuggling and illegal working in London have been stepped up (NCA)

Another, also from India, claimed he managed the shop and said his wages were £1,200 a month, paid in cash.

Allegedly illegal vapes containing up to 8,000 puffs were also seized. Vapes are capped at 600 puffs under UK laws.

In documents submitted to Westminster Council, the Home Office said: “Immigration Enforcement conducted two visits to Strand News in the space of 12 days, where illegal workers were found on both occasions.

“These individuals were identified as solely being responsible for running the premises and the sale of alcohol.

“Both individuals admitted to working at the premises, having been recruited directly by the business owner, who had not verified their immigration status or right to work.

“They also confirmed that they were paid in cash and did not pay taxes on their earnings. Both individuals were found to be residing and working in the UK illegally.

“This not only highlights the business owner’s failure to conduct even the most basic right-to-work checks, but also points to a sustained effort to employ undocumented workers.

“These individuals were entrusted with the running of the premises - often as the sole staff present.”

The business, on The Strand, was handed a £40,000 fine and now faces having its licence to sell alcohol revoked.

From July 5 last year - the day the new government came to power - until October 31, there were 3,188 enforcement visits — compared to 2,371 raids during the same period in 2023.

Arrests also jumped, from 1,836 to 2,299. Between July and September last year, fines totalling nearly £1.9 million were handed out by the Home Office to almost 50 London businesses.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer said the rollout of eVisas would help tackle illegal working.

He said: “Since we came to power we've ramped up enforcementraids on illegal working. Arrests have gone up by 50% and we're tightening the law on delivery drivers.

“Digital ID will help us tackle illegal working and we're rolling out the use of eVisas to have digital records of immigration status and checks to allow on the spot checks of anybody's right to work.”

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A preliminary report said the plane's fuel switches were moved to the 'cut-off' position 'immediately' after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine.

BY James Cheng-Morris·Freelance news writer, Yahoo UK

The captain of the Air India flight which crashed last month cut off fuel to the plane’s engines seconds after takeoff, US officials believe.

One pilot on the flight was asked why he had cut off the fuel of the Boeing BA.N 787 Dreamliner by another, but "the other pilot responded that he did not do so”.

The London-bound Air India flight lost thrust seconds after taking off on 12 June, crashing into a medical student hostel in Ahmedabad, killing 260 people in total, including 52 Britons.

Investigators did not identify which remarks were made by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and which by First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively.

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As the probe continues, here are some of the unanswered questions about the crash.

Why were the fuel switches cut off?

The preliminary report said both of the plane's fuel switches moved to the "cut-off" position "immediately" after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine.

The report reads: "In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut-off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so."

The switches were then returned to their normal in-flight position, which triggered an automatic engine relight and a thrust recovery procedure. While the engines started to recover, it was already too late, and the plane crashed.

It has raised questions about what happened with the switches. Professor Graham Braithwaite, director of aerospace and aviation at Cranfield University, said these are used at the end of every flight and in emergency scenarios such as a fire.

They are designed so they cannot easily be "accidentally" turned off and pilots would generally run through a checklist before doing so, he told the Press Association.

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Prof Braithwaite said that if the switch had been moved by a person, that would have been a "very unusual thing to do" at below 1,000 feet (304m).

"It's not the point of flight where you try and call for your coffee, it's a period of flight where your focus is very, very clear, and that first 1,000 feet, it's about keeping the airplane climbing and that's not about clicking switches."

The switches flipped a second apart, the report said, roughly the time it would take to shift one and then the other, US aviation expert John Nance told the Reuters news agency. Like Prof Braithwaite, he said a pilot would never normally turn the switches off in flight, especially as the plane is starting to climb.

What was the role of the pilots?

The fuel switch information has raised questions over the role of the pilots.

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Bhaval Shah, a family friend of Kinal Mistry, 24, who died in the crash, told The Times: "If these switches can't be turned off easily and if no software glitch could have been responsible, then it is deliberate, isn't it? Then it's sabotage or suicide."

Watch: Fuel cut-off on 787 "can't happen by accident"

But there has been pushback against this narrative given it was only a preliminary report.

India's civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu told local news channels: "We care for the welfare and the wellbeing of pilots so let's not jump to any conclusions at this stage, let us wait for the final report."

The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association, quoted in the Hindustan Times, also said on Sunday it is "deeply disturbed by speculative narratives emerging in sections of the media and public discourse – particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide. Let us be unequivocally clear: there is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage."

What was said in the cockpit?

Kunder, who was flying the plane, asked Sabharwal why he moved the fuel switches to the "cutoff" position seconds after lifting off the runway, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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The preliminary report did not contain a transcript of the pilots' communications in the cockpit. This would have been captured by the cockpit voice recorder, which was recovered from the wreckage.

Peter Goelz, a former managing director of the US National Transportation Safety Board, said "there's likely much more on the cockpit voice recorder than what's been shared".

It comes as families of the victims have demanded transparency.

Relatives of Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa, who died in the crash, said: "Moving forwards, we require honesty, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to uncovering the full truth."

Ishan Baxi, cousin of sisters Dhir and Heer Baxi, who were meant to be flying home after surprising their grandmother for her birthday, said he was "not satisfied" by the initial report. He told PA: "I just hope the final report brings full clarity on what exactly failed and who’s accountable. It shouldn't hide behind vague terms."

What happens next?

If the final investigation takes more than a year to complete, an interim report will be issued on the anniversary of the crash, Prof Braithwaite said, adding that interim recommendations could be made at any time.

Meanwhile, the preliminary report said investigators have identified “components of interest for further examinations".

BY Simon Calder

Great barrier grief: that is what the UK government promises to end, at least for British travellers to Germany.

“Millions of UK travellers to Germany will be able to use e-gates in the future thanks to a new agreement made between prime minister Keir Starmer and German chancellor Friedrich Merz today,” the Cabinet Office says.

“Germany will roll out the first phase of e-gates access for UK travellers by the end of August, starting with frequent travellers such as Brits with family in Germany or who travel regularly for business.”

I have asked the Cabinet Office how this will work: how do the e-gates (or the staff in charge) know whether I have family in Germany? In the absence of a a cousin in Cologne or a daughter in Dresden, might I squeak in as a regular business traveller; I have also asked how frequently must I visit to qualify?

In any event, once through the e-gates a smiling German official will need to stamp my passport– in accordance with what the UK demanded when leaving the European Union.

Boris Johnson’s fearless negotiators insisted that we would become “third-country nationals” not required to obtain a visa.

Brussels capitulated to our wish to spend hours waiting in queues; to discover that rules on passports validity meant thousands would be turned away from planes; and to have our documents minutely examined to ensure we have not spent more than 90 days in the past 180 days within the Schengen area.

Our illustrious status is shared with many other citizens, from East Timor to El Salvador. But unlike them, the British traditionally make tens of millions of journeys to the EU each year.

We would love to make more of those trips by rail, but the tangle of red tape we negotiated means there isn’t enough space for processing passengers at London St Pancras International, the Eurostar hub. Yet here’s the the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, promising “a direct connection linking London and Berlin” could be in place “in just a matter of years”.

The press was briefed that trains from the UK to Germany could be running by 2030. Allow me to present an equally plausible transport goal for the next five years: “Personal jet packs for all.”

The UK government is clutching at bureaucratic straws with claims such as “Estonia has confirmed they will open up access at Tallinn airport in 2026”. Wise ministers surely know they should be yelling from the rooftops something that the most ardent Leave voter must accept: “Brexit has proved deeply damaging for British travellers to Europe, and we need to fix it.”

Tourists, students, business travellers and those with family in the EU have all suffered from the self-harm administered by Brexit.

Your ease of access to the EU this summer depends on your DNA and/or birthplace. UK citizens wise enough to have ancestry in Ireland, north or south, can obtain an EU passport and regain all the travel freedoms we asked to be taken away.

For everyone else: we need to negotiate a special status that reflects our passion for Europe.

BY Megan Howe

A new UK-Germany treaty could pave the way for direct trains between London and Berlin, promising faster travel for millions across Europe.

The Kensington Treaty, signed on Thursday by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, also includes opening e-gates for frequent travellers between the two countries and expanded school exchange programmes.

It comes nearly a decade after Britain voted to leave the European Union, signalling a fresh push to renew friendships with European allies.

Downing Street said the move would help German authorities trace and shut down warehouses used by smugglers to hide small boats destined for illegal Channel crossings to the UK.

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More than 21,000 people have arrived in the UK so far this year by crossing the Channel in small boats — up 56% on the same period last year.

A joint taskforce will be established between governments over the next decade, bringing together transport experts to examine how to establish the necessary border and security controls for direct long-distance rail passenger services.

The taskforce will examine commercial and technical requirements, including safety standards, border arrangements and collaboration with rail operators to make the direct services a reality.

Mr Merz met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the Victoria and Albert Museum in Kensington for the signing ceremony.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the rail link could offer an alternative to flying within the next decade.

"We're pioneering a new era of European rail connectivity and are determined to put Britain at the heart of a better-connected continent," she said.

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Having set up rail, air and even space travel enterprises, Sir Richard Branson announced his venture into the cruise industry in 2015. Yet his first ship, Scarlet Lady, came along just as the Covid pandemic struck, so she didn’t make her maiden voyage until 2021; sailing from Portsmouth, rather from Miami, as was originally planned the year before.

The adults-only line was aimed at younger cruisers – who it calls “sailors” – and it soon garnered a reputation for its edgy concepts. These originally included a box of sex aids in every cabin (now discontinued), drag bingo and a tattoo parlour.

But in the intervening years, with the introduction of Valiant Lady in 2022 and Resilient Lady a year later, the line has evolved, focusing more on its impressive food offerings, offbeat entertainment and lively deck parties around the pool.

Everywhere the ships sail, they are instantly recognised by their scarlet funnels and battleship-coloured hulls – the designers considered more than 100 shades of grey before choosing the final hue.

The aesthetic was carefully designed to promote a fresh but relaxing vibe - Virgin Voyages