The Sky News Business Podcast · Sky News

Flights, Tariffs and The 02

·21 min·1 clip

Rolls-Royce raised full-year profit guidance by around 12% after first-half operating profit rose 50%.

1. The Sky News Business Podcast opens with Heathrow expansion and tariff pressure, then moves through live entertainment, corporate results, and NHS-linked healthcare. 2. Darren McCaffrey fronts the programme, Sarinda Arora joins on Heathrow runway planning, Steve Sayer speaks for the O2, Matthew Orsman covers tariffs, Lindsay James analyses results, and Justin Cash explains Spark Healthcare’s figures. 3. The episode asks what is driving airport capacity, arena demand, tariff policy, and company earnings at the same time. 4. Sarinda Arora says his airport-hotel group has worked with airlines, advisers, consultants, Bechtel, and Scott Brownrigg on a Heathrow third runway plan. 5. He says the optimum runway length is 2,800 metres and argues that a 3,500-metre runway over the M25 would be a "complete disaster." 6. Arora says the plan would not touch the M25 and claims the total package would be under £25 billion including the runway, infrastructure, and terminal. 7. Steve Sayer says the O2 has had 115 performances and almost 1.6 million attendees in the first half of the year. 8. He says the venue is on track for more than 230 shows, above the 2013 record of 225 performances. 9. Sayer links the demand to Gen Z, saying nearly half of the O2’s audience now comes from that generation. 10. He says people are prioritising experiences over things, even with a cost-of-living crisis and tighter household budgets. 11. Sayer says higher national insurance, business rates, and other taxes are a strain on big venues and small venues alike. 12. He says the O2 is trying to mitigate those pressures while still supporting local businesses around Greenwich. 13. Matthew Orsman says the White House tariff plan may still see more deals completed by the end of the day. 14. He says Canada and Mexico are the biggest trading partners still without a deal and that the US may extend deadlines if talks are in good faith. 15. Orsman says tariffs are being passed through to American consumers, even as billions of dollars are collected by the US government. 16. He says the UK benefited from going first, while the EU paid a higher rate after what he calls dithering and debate. 17. The interview style is fast-paced and question-led, with Darren McCaffrey moving between live guests and market updates. 18. The tone is practical and explanatory, with numbers, policy details, and company guidance used throughout. 19. Best for listeners tracking Heathrow, live entertainment, tariffs, and earnings. 20. Skip if you want only one sector or no market-and-policy roundup.

As heard by us

A fast, practical tour of aviation disruption, trade pressure, and the business of live events.

The episode moves at a brisk business-news pace, opening with disruption that lands quickly: cancelled flights, the Heathrow runway fight, and the wider question of whether the southeast has enough airport capacity.

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Why you'd press play

You want airline disruption, tariff deadlines, and live-event tech in one tidy morning briefing.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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