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60,000 Air Safety Workers are on a fixed income as the US Shutdown drags on
The 60,000 men, women and children who are responsible for the safety of American skies have not been paid during the shutdown. Many federal employees warned that without a funding deal soon, they will have to dig into their savings, take on credit card debt or work part-time to survive. It's been three weeks since the shutdown began, and the tens and thousands of federal employees who work to keep air traffic and security moving are rapidly approaching the point where they will not receive a full pay check. These workers received their last paychecks around mid-October. They were short up to two full days of pay. "People say, 'Well when I get off of work, I'm gonna do Uber, DoorDash, or Lyft, or something like that, because I need food on the dinner table and I have a child at home,'" said Neal Gosman. He is the treasurer of American Federation of Government employees Local 899, which represents Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers in Minnesota. Gosman said that, in addition to his union duties and part-time work as a Transportation Security Officer, he had received 60% of the normal TSA salary in his last paycheck, but a colleague received only $6.34. Many air traffic controllers will find out on Thursday how much they'll be paid next Tuesday. Many air traffic controllers expect to receive no payment. According to John Welbes, spokesperson for the authority that operates Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the authority plans to create a shelf where nonperishable foods will be provided to federal workers as it did during 2018-19 shutdown of the government. The authority may offer boxed meals if the shutdown continues into November. But that won't be enough. The TSA officer, identified as M. at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport said that he would take out a $3,000 personal loan to cover his expenses. The loan would be used to pay car payments and for a new apartment, as I could no longer afford my current one due to everything else. M. did not wish to have his full name published for fear of being fired. The number of air traffic controllers and TSA agents who missed their paychecks during the 35-day government shutdown in 2019 increased, increasing passenger wait times. New York authorities were forced to slow down air traffic, causing lawmakers to act quickly to end the standoff. On the 31st day of that shutdown 10% of TSA employees called in sick, which is triple the usual absence rate. The U.S. Transportation Department published information last week on how to donate food, clothing, or other items to more than 50,000 TSA agents across the nation, who earn an annual average salary of $40,000. According to the guidelines, people can give donuts or coffee, but no cash. They should also never donate money at a checkpoint. The Republican colleagues of U.S. president Donald Trump hold majorities in Congress in both chambers, but they need at least 7 Democratic votes in order to pass a funding measure in the Senate. Democrats want to continue and expand healthcare subsidies for those who purchase insurance under the Affordable Care Act. On Thursday, another vote on a spending bill for the government is expected. Another TSA officer from Dayton, Ohio said, "I am more disappointed that there are no real negotiations taking place." He added that he did not understand why Congress was playing "political Chess" with his pay.
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Tesla recalls nearly 13,000 US cars over battery safety
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the U.S. announced on Wednesday that Tesla was recalling 12,963 cars in the U.S. because of a defect with a component in the battery pack. This could cause a sudden loss in drive power. The regulator stated that the issue with certain 2025 Model 3 or 2026 Model Y cars could cause the driver to lose the ability of accelerating the vehicle. This would increase the risk of a collision. Tesla has said that it will replace any affected contactors in the battery pack at no cost. The company didn't immediately respond to our request for a comment. Tesla reported 26 field reports and 36 warranty claims related to this defect as of October 7. However, it said that the company was not aware of any accidents, injuries or fatalities associated with this defect. The auto safety agency announced earlier this month that it would be opening an investigation on 2,88 million Teslas equipped with the Full Self-Driving System after receiving more than 50 reports about traffic-safety infractions and a number of accidents. The investigation comes as Congress continues to scrutinize Tesla's advanced driving assistance system and just weeks after the confirmation of a new NHTSA Administrator. After the close of Wednesday's market, EV is expected to announce its financial results for third quarter.
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Trump's attack on offshore wind has a knock-on effect for US shipbuilders and ports
Shipbuilders and port operators in the United States are suffering from the fallout of President Donald Trump’s campaign to eliminate the offshore wind industry. They have lost hundreds of millions in government support and seen their vessel orders disappear. Their investments worth billions of dollar's now face an uncertain future. This is an unintended result of Trump's offshore wind policy, which includes stop-work orders for large projects and permit reviews that were sparked by former president Joe Biden’s green investment policies. Trump says offshore wind is an ugly and inefficient technology which harms birds and whales. He is a strong supporter of U.S. marine industries, which he sees as vital in the global race for trade dominance and military dominance on the high seas. Joe Orgeron is a Republican Louisiana State Representative and former owner of an offshore vessel company. He said that the offshore wind industry had been responsible for many ship purchases in recent years. "Unfortunately, that all came to an abrupt halt." The details are revealed here for the very first time. The Department of Transportation has canceled more than 679 million dollars in funding for ports that support offshore wind. This includes a grant of $34 million for an installation in Salem Massachusetts, which was supposed to generate 75 million dollars in tax revenue in 20 years and 800 jobs. According to Oceantic, the trade group, orders for new offshore service vessels, designed to transport workers and enormous turbines offshore, or to lay underwater cable, have also vanished. This follows a busy year in 2024, which saw at least ten U.S. vessels launched to serve offshore winds. According to the report, existing vessels are being sold or redeployed to other regions around the world. Trump's administration has said that it can revitalize the U.S. port and shipbuilding industry without offshore wind support. The industry had suffered for years from cost inflation and a lack of government support. The U.S. Department of Transportation stated that "this administration will restore America’s maritime dominance" by modernizing ports and expanding shipbuilding capabilities to compete with communist China. We're doing it quickly and as cost-effectively possible - two attributes that are completely absent from offshore wind manufacturing." BIG CANCELLATION Danish shipping company Maersk cancelled a $475-million contract for a ship custom designed to install massive wind turbines on the Empire Wind Power Project off the coast of New York earlier this month, revealing the decline in vessel demand. Empire Wind, a project of Equinor, was embroiled earlier this year in Trump's opposition against offshore wind when the administration issued an order to stop work that delayed construction for one month. Seatrium in Singapore, the shipbuilder, was said to be evaluating options for the vessel which was almost completed and that it could take legal actions. According to Oceantic Network, the growth of offshore wind in the Northeast has fueled a strong demand for such vessels. This includes several that were built in U.S. yards or flown under U.S. national flags. The group said that the offshore wind sector has benefited from $5.1 billion worth of port investments, and $1.8 billion worth of vessel orders. Among these vessels is the 715 million dollar Charybdis. It is the only vessel with a U.S. flag that is used to install wind turbines. This vessel is currently working for Dominion Energy on its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project. Edison Chouest, a Louisiana-based company, also built two large offshore worker housing vessels for Equinor's and Orsted's projects that are currently being constructed. The work has dried up. US Wind, an offshore wind developer, said in court documents that were filed this month that it was on track to obtain specialized vessels for the installation of offshore wind. However, efforts by the Trump administration to stop their Maryland project disrupted those plans. The company stated that such vessels are rare and often booked many years in advance. This means early action is needed to meet the construction deadlines. Blount Boats of Rhode Island, which started building crew transfer boats for offshore wind energy in 2016, has stopped production completely. Julie Blount, Executive Vice President, said: "We have moved on." There are no contracts on those boats because the Trump Administration has shut that down. Some existing offshore wind vessels are also being sold. Houston-based Seacor Marine said in August that it would sell to Nigerian oil-and-gas services company JAD Construction two liftboats with U.S. flags, used at the Block Island offshore wind farm and South Fork offshore turbine farms. The company cited delays and cancellations as reasons for its decision. Seacor has not responded to a comment request. Other ships are facing uncertain futures. Bill Hanson, of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp., stated that the $200 million Acadia - America's first ship for rock installation - will work overseas once it has completed jobs for Equinor or Orsted. The company does not plan to build any more offshore wind vessels. Ports Reeling Too Oceanic estimated that last year, more than twenty U.S. port cities were involved in offshore wind projects. The DOT canceled grants totaling $679 million worth of funding in August. This affected projects in Massachusetts, New York and California as well as Maryland and Virginia. Salem's port project, which is suffering after funding was cancelled, is in trouble. According to Chris Mikkelsen, Executive Director of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, in Northern California, it is anticipated that the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Port, which lost $426.7 Million - the majority of the canceled DOT funds - will be delayed for at least five years, to 2035. The project hopes to use funds from the state climate bond in order to compensate for lost federal funding. Norfolk, Virginia economic development officials said that the developer of a marine logistic terminal, which lost a $39m DOT grant, submitted a revised project proposal refocusing it away from offshore winds to align the project with the administration's priority. Some port projects continue to be undertaken. According to a spokesperson for Equinor, the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal that will support its Empire Wind Project is 70% completed and has employed approximately 3,000 workers. US Wind in Maryland says that it will continue to build a steel manufacturing facility on the shore that would serve shipbuilding and energy industries, despite the cancellation of the $47.4m port grant as well as the plans by the administration to revoke its permit for offshore wind. US Wind also warned that it might face bankruptcy if the project was canceled in court documents. Jim Strong, of the United Steelworkers, which has an agreement to supply workers for US Wind’s facility, expressed optimism that Trump will see how offshore wind investments can have a ripple effect on industries that are important to him. Strong, speaking of Trump, said that Trump had shown a great deal of passion when he spoke about steel during his campaign. I want to believe there will be a shift in positions once the story has been told. (Additional reporting from Lisa Baertlein, Los Angeles; Editing done by Richard Valdmanis & Marguerita Choy).
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The HS2 chief has delayed the northern England rail connection by four years
The company announced on Wednesday that the new high-speed railway line in Britain, HS2, will be delayed at least by four years. The latest setback in a project plagued by cost overruns since its approval in 2012. The previous government was forced to cancel the northern half between Birmingham and Manchester due to its ballooning budget two years ago. A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said that the construction of the 18-mile (30-km) section north Birmingham would be delayed to give priority to the completion of the main London - Birmingham route. The link was built to increase capacity and catch up Britain with other European countries that have extensive high-speed tracks. The spokesperson stated that "We are fully committed to finishing the 18-mile stretch of road north of Birmingham." Heidi Alexander, the Transport Minister, warned in June that it was unlikely the line would open by 2033. She said she would provide an update by the end the year on the costs and timeline. A spokesperson for Transport Department said that the government "called time on spiralling cost and ineffective decisions", while remaining committed to delivering HS2 phase 1 in its entirety, including the 18 mile stretch. The Labour government elected last year has promised to complete the southern leg HS2, but has not reinstated its northern extension. The government's growth agenda places a priority on accelerating planning processes for new energy and transportation projects. The government has supported expansion at London Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport. $1 = 0.7451 pounds (Reporting and editing by Sam Tabahriti)
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Heathrow Airport in the UK expects to exceed last year's passenger numbers by 2025
Heathrow Airport in Britain reported record passenger numbers for the third quarter 2025 and said that it expects full-year numbers will surpass 2024 levels as it continues to prepare for long-term growth and invests in infrastructure. In the three-month period ending September, there were 23.4 million passengers at the airport. This includes more than 8 millions in August. The nine-month revenue for September grew by 2.0%, to 2.7 billion pounds (3.62 billion dollars), driven primarily by the strong demand for long-haul flights and an increase in premium services. The adjusted earnings before interest tax, depreciation, and amortisation dropped 0.2% to 1.53 billion pounds. This was due to the impact of lost tax-free shopping opportunities, higher security costs, and increased employment taxes. Heathrow's outlook for 2025 is consistent with the investor report it released in June. Airport officials said they were also pushing forward plans for a new runway that could be operational in a decade pending approval by 2029.
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After balloon incident, Lithuania reopens airport and Belarus border crossings
The National Crisis Management Centre reported that Lithuanian flights resumed at Vilnius Airport on Wednesday after being suspended overnight due to balloons smuggled into the airspace of the capital. The helium balloons that drifted toward the airport on Tuesday evening affected 30 flights and over 4,000 passengers. Lithuania closed both border crossings with Belarus following the incident. It was the second time in a month that contraband cigarettes from Belarus, which borders Lithuania is transported by balloons. Vilnius is 30 km away. In recent weeks, drone sightings have caused chaos at European airports including those in Copenhagen, Munich, and the Baltic area. (Reporting and writing by Terje Solesvik; editing by Christian Schmollinger & Hugh Lawson).
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Deutsche ReGas allocates Mukran LNG capacity in auction
Deutsche ReGas announced on Wednesday that it had sold slots for the delivery of liquefied gas to Mukran in north Germany, ensuring gas supplies through winter and beyond. ReGas is a private energy infrastructure developer and operator. On October 21, it held an auction for the delivery of gas into the Deutsche Ostsee Terminal at Mukran on the German Ruegen Island in the Baltic Sea. The company responded to a query by saying that "all delivery slots for LNG landings in Mukran for the heating season, which has just started, until next spring have been assigned, along with 80% of capacities for 2026." It said: "This means deliveries via the German Baltic Sea Energy Terminal will continue to play a significant role in ensuring the security of supply for Germany and Europe over the next year." ReGas announced on September 19 that it would auction 12 slots for unloading and regasification, which will be evenly distributed through 2026. Since 2022, Europe's imports of Russian pipeline gas have dropped sharply. The European Union also decided to stop relying on Russian fossil fuels in 2027. This has led to a greater reliance on seaborne LNG. Gas from Mukran is fed into German and Czech grids. Vera Eckert is the reporter. (Editing by Miranda Murray, Mark Potter and Mark Potter).
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German logistics companies face challenges in 2026, according to industry group
According to a forecast released by the industry association BVL, German logistics companies are facing pressure as they head into 2026. This is a year that will only see a 0.5% real growth year-on year. Due to the uncertainty of the economic and geopolitical environment, a group of logistics experts has presented three scenarios for the first. In the optimist case, a real growth of 1,1% is possible. However, in the pessimistic case, the sector will experience a decline of 0.4%. Specialists assess the current mood for autumn 2025 as being slightly negative, despite investment intentions remaining stable. Experts cited a number of factors as the reason for their scepticism. The most prominent was an uncertain policy environment in trade. The group also said that an increase in cyberattacks was to be anticipated, which would eat up a significant portion of IT budgets. The industry is putting great faith in the efficiency gains that can be achieved through automation, digitalization and artificial intelligence. (Reporting and writing by Klaus Lauer; editing by Miranda Murray).
Norwegian Air exceeds profit expectations thanks to strong summer demand
Norwegian Air Shuttle, a budget airline, beat the market's expectations on Wednesday for its third quarter earnings. This was due to higher demand in its summer markets.
The operating profit of the carrier grew by 41% on an annual basis to 3,02 billion Norwegian crowns (US$300.70 millions) during the quarter July-September, exceeding a consensus estimate of 2.8 million crowns.
It said that the profit figure was the largest quarterly operating profit ever recorded by the airline.
The airline stated in its earnings report that "The Norwegian Group experienced robust demand trends throughout the summer and into the third quarter 2025" across all markets. The airline's unit costs, which are the average costs of flying an airplane seat, fell by 5% compared to a year ago. They were 0.64 crowns for the third quarter.
Norwegian's earnings report stated that it was able counteract cost pressure in part due to initiatives taken under its cost-saving programme, and the strengthening of the Norwegian crown against U.S. dollars. Although the airline industry has slowly recovered from its pandemic-induced slump, costs are still rising. Norwegian reported record passenger numbers in June, and a high load factor. In July it announced that its first dividend would be paid.
The airline, which operates primarily regional flights in Europe, has confirmed its capacity forecast of 37.500 million seat-kilometres by 2025. The unit cost, excluding fuel, is expected to remain unchanged in 2025.
(source: Reuters)