Bloomberg VietJet Aviation JSC said it has reached agreements with domestic and international lenders to delay repayments on about 80% of loans for its aircraft purchases after the budget carrier experienced a significant drop in passengers during the novel coronavirus outbreak. The lenders, which include HSBC Holdings PLC and Citibank NA, also agreed to delay repayments for three to 12 ...

Bloomberg Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd expects passenger numbers to stay below 1,000 a day this month compared with the usual 100,000 as it operates at just 3% of normal capacity. The Hong Kong-based airline said it is impossible to predict when demand will improve as the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic is intensifying. One day this week, Cathay and ...

Bloomberg Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd stock was suspended in Sydney as discussions over a potential financial restructuring for the airline continue. The shares, already halted from trading, will be suspended for as long as seven days so talks centred on financial help and alternative structures can go on, Virgin Australia said in a statement. “These discussions have continued over the ...

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc is hitting back at activists within its own ranks, terminating three employees who had criticised working conditions in its warehouses. The retailer confirmed that it had fired Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa for violating company policy. The two employees, who worked at Seattle headquarters, had taken to Twitter recently to voice concerns about the treatment of workers ...

Bloomberg A Swiss retailer is crying foul after a truckload of hand sanitiser it had ordered was commandeered by Italian customs officers. The shipment of disinfectant gel, purchased by Victory Switzerland GmbH for 32,000 euros ($34,800), was stopped by officials on March 30, according to Daniel Gerber, the company’s managing director. “I am not aware of any compensation for us,” ...

ABU DHABI / WAM His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Tunisian President Kais Saied, have discussed bilateral relations, the global Covid-19 crisis and ways to contain the pandemic’s repercussions at various levels. In a telephone call, the leaders reviewed the measures the countries ...

Dubai / WAM The Dubai Department of Economic Development has said that foodstuff trade in the emirate continues to run smoothly and as planned as a result of measures taken by the department to support the food security agenda in the UAE. In a statement, the department, also known as Dubai Customs, noted that external trade in foodstuff for the ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The value of non-oil foreign merchandise trade through Abu Dhabi ports increased by 0.5 percent from AED 19.2 billion in the year to date in January 2019 to AED 19.3 billion in the same period of 2020, according to figures released by Abu Dhabi Statistics Centre (SCAD) on Wednesday. Imports increased by 5.8 percent from AED ...

Sharjah / WAM Sharjah Media City (Shams) has announced reinforcing its digital presence by conducting several online workshops. In light of the current situation, Shams is ensuring easy and effective registration of new businesses online, without requiring business owners to step out of their homes. The “Online Photoshop Workshop by Adobe” successfully attracted a number of participants and proved instrumental ...

Bloomberg The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is set to provide $11 billion to 32 countries in sub-Saharan Africa that have requested assistance in fighting the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the region’s economies. These steps by the IMF and its partners — the World Bank, World Health Organisation, the African Development Bank and the African Union — will support ...