Celebrity chef to reopen restaurant with reduced capacity and table screens | Scottish airports fuel provider jobs at risk | Tim Peake joins Scottish rocket firm

Mr Lee said the team has adhered to Scottish Government guidelines and it has introduced protective screens at each table, automatic hand sanitisers at the restaurant's reception and all staff will be wearing appropriate PPE.

Staff have also completed on site training on Covid-19 safety within the workplace and all tables are spaced two metres apart.

Mr Lee and the team earlier launched “Lychee Oriental at Home”, a delivery service where customers could order or collect.

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Former BBC Great British Menu contestant Jimmy said: “We are adapting to cope with the changes forced on us by the Covid-19 pandemic whilst also refining the dining experience to offer our guests the very best of Cantonese food.

“We have some very loyal customers at Lychee Oriental and over the past few months have built up new audiences with our takeaway and delivery services who are yet to dine in the restaurant."

Lychee Oriental will continue both its home delivery and takeaway menu services as part of a new structure in the kitchens. 

Mr Lee added: "It is essentially a whole new business with new systems, processes, branding and packaging.

“When we launched, there were days when we only had two or three customer orders but I was determined and week on week the delivery business grew. It's an exciting and successful part of the business now and I don't think the demand will disappear anytime soon.”

The restaurant will reopen with a reduced capacity catering for up to 40 guests per sitting, around 70% of the venue's full capacity.

For the first time, the restaurant will operate with no walk-ins. All customers must book in advance via the website or contacting Lychee Oriental directly by phone, which can be done from today.

The Lychee Oriental team said it is working behind the scenes to make the dining experience as safe as possible for the team and customers.

Unite Scotland has warned that dozens of workers employed by North Air face redundancy at Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports.

North Air is a fuel tanker company for aircraft based at both airports. The proposed job cuts will mean that North Air will reduce its operations by over 30 per cent at Edinburgh Airport and more than 25 per cent at Glasgow Airport, the union said.

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The latest blow to the civil aviation industry follows a series of companies and airlines announcing major job cuts. 

Companies operating in and from Aberdeen Airport have various redundancy consultations under way which Unite is directly involved in threatening more than 100 jobs, the union said.

At Edinburgh Airport, Unite is involved in redundancy consultations effecting more than 1,000 jobs including Menzies Aviation, Swissport, ICTS, City Flyer and Global Infrastructure Partners, the company which owns the airport.

At Glasgow Airport, Unite is also involved in redundancy consultations effecting more than 500 workers at companies including Menzies Aviation, ICTS, and Swissport. 

Last week, the trade union wrote to the First Minister for the second time calling for the establishment of a civil aviation task force to deal with the unfolding jobs crisis at Scotland's three major airports resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pat McIlvogue, Unite regional industrial officer, in response to the proposed redundancies at North Air said: “North Air has worked constructively with Unite up until this point by using the UK Government’s job retention scheme."

It said the firm has now "issued redundancy notices affecting up to 30 per cent of their workforce at Edinburgh Airport and more than 25 per cent at Glasgow Airport".

He added: "It’s the latest domino to fall in the industry and thousands of jobs are hanging by a thread. Unite fully understands the situation facing civil aviation and that’s why we have written to the First Minister last week for the second time demanding a coordinated national response so that we can safeguard thousands of Scottish jobs.”

Space rocket company Skyrora has announced the addition of British astronaut, Tim Peake, to its advisory board.

The experience Mr Peake has gained as a European Space Agency astronaut, former International Space Station crew member, and British Army Air Corps officer will be "invaluable" to Skyrora as the company continues its development of the Skyrora XL rocket for providing orbital launches by 2023, the Edinburgh-based firm said.

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Skyrora claims it has shown itself as a leader within the UK space race with a recent full ground test of its second largest launch vehicle, making the UK "effectively launch-ready".

Volodymyr Levykin, chief executive officer at Skyrora, said: “I couldn’t be more excited with Tim joining our advisory board. Tim’s knowledge, insight, and vast experience in the space industry will boost Skyrora’s efforts to become the UK’s premier and principal company for commercial rocket launches.

“Tim has been at the forefront of the space industry for years. His level of expertise will help us to gain more insight into the rapidly evolving UK space industry and sustain our rapid growth and development.

“As the UK space industry continues to grow rapidly, we must all work together and combine our multidisciplinary efforts to achieve capturing 10 per cent of the global space market by 2030, as targeted by the UK Government”.

Mr Peake said: “I’m delighted to be joining Skyrora’s Advisory Board and helping to support their efforts to develop a commercial rocket launch capability.

"The UK is well placed to become a key player in meeting the increasing need for small satellite launch opportunities and Skyrora’s innovative ideas and rapid pace of development make them an extremely exciting company to be working with.”