Bloomberg Aimia Inc. soared after a group led by Air Canada agreed to buy its Aeroplan business for $345 million in cash, ending a takeover battle for one of Canada’s most popular loyalty programs. Air Canada and its banking partners sweetened their bid for Aeroplan, winning over Aimia’s board and an activist shareholder that was seeking a higher price. Air …

Bloomberg Air China Ltd.’s parent is seeking private money for an air-cargo and logistics venture with planned total investment of $1.5 billion as part of Beijing’s mandate for state-owned firms to diversify their ownership. China National Aviation Holding Co., the state-owned controlling shareholder of Beijing-based Air China, is among companies looking for private partners under the nation’s so-called mixed-ownership reform, …

Sharjah / Emirates Business Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC), has announced that it has signed an agreement with SAP — a global market leader in enterprise application software for a new cloud-based Human Resources system. The new system “SAP SuccessFactors” will provide Air Arabia with advanced capabilities across all HR functions. …

Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc reached a new labour deal with protesting Irish pilots after a marathon negotiating session, pointing to the end of a dispute that’s disrupted travel for thousands of passengers across Europe. Shares of Ryanair rose the most in three months in Dublin, where the company is based, following 22 hours of discussions. The accord will now be …

Bloomberg The private equity owners of Toys ‘R’ Us may be taking unprecedented steps towards supporting the company’s former workers, but the lenders that financed its bankruptcy — and ultimate liquidation — are making no such promises. Angelo Gordon & Co. LP and Solus Alternative Asset Management don’t plan to contribute any more cash to benefit Toys ‘R’ Us employees …

Bahrain/ Emirates Business Gulf Air, the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, took delivery of its first A320neo. The aircraft, powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines, made its maiden journey from Toulouse to Bahrain, landing at the Bahrain International Airport at 16:00 local time. The aircraft is the first of the 29 A320neo Family aircraft ordered during the 2016 Bahrain …

Bloomberg Diabetes treatment has evolved since Mary Fortune was diagnosed in 1967 and hospitalised because there was no reliable way monitor her blood sugar. These days, a glucose skin patch transmits her levels day and night to her iPhone and shares the data with others. Fortune and other diabetics are benefiting from an explosion in technology and innovation, from under-the-skin …

Bloomberg Best Buy Co. is going after Grandma. The electronics retailer agreed to pay $800 million to acquire GreatCall Inc., a provider of smartphones and emergency-response systems for seniors, broadening its push into the burgeoning market for connected-home products and services. The deal, which should close by the end of the third quarter, will boost adjusted earnings by 2020, Best …

Bloomberg Trekking through a crowded, cavernous Walmart supercenter isn’t much fun. But what if you could do it from the comfort of your own home through virtual reality? The world’s biggest retailer wants to find out, according to filings with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The company has applied for two patents that detail a “virtual show room” and …

Bloomberg Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc has begun offering its own battery-powered ship engines in a move that signals the gathering momentum behind a push towards hybrid and ultimately all-electric vessels. While maritime demand for lithium-ion batteries is focused on providing top-up power for traditional diesel and gas-turbine ships, the technology could propel fully electric craft over a limited range, according to …