Aviation

  Dubai / Emirates Business Musafir.com, the UAE’s first premium-experience travel website, announced the launch of the online visa application service. Tourist visas to the UAE and 14 other destinations can now be directly applied on musafir.com and have their travel documentation processed and completed with no hassle. They are the first travel provider in the GCC region to introduce …

  Shanghai / AFP China and Russia will invest up to $20 billion to develop a long-haul wide-bodied jet, reports on Thursday and a company statement said, as Beijing seeks to challenge leading Western manufacturers Boeing and Airbus. The hugely ambitious plan was first agreed between the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), whose products …

  Emirates Business A unit of HNA Group Co. outbid Hong Kong developers including Cheung Kong Property Holdings Ltd. with an HK$8.84 billion ($1.1 billion) offer for government land in the former Kai Tak airport area, the highest price tag in three-and-a-half years. It was the most hotly contested land tender this year, as a rebound in home prices is …

  Bloomberg Air France-KLM Group said it will create a new long-haul unit to fend off Persian Gulf rivals, simplify short-haul operations and work more closely with staff as new Chief Executive Officer Jean-Marc Janaillac seeks to put his stamp on a company riven by internal strife as its market share ebbs. The group will establish a French arm parallel …

  Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc’s plans for its first-ever flights from Frankfurt sparked a bitter response from Deutsche Lufthansa AG, which vowed to fight back against the surprise incursion at Germany’s biggest hub. While Ryanair will begin Frankfurt services with just two jets and four routes, Europe’s top discount airline sees potential for a bigger operation there, David O’Brien, its …

  Berlin / AFP German airline Lufthansa said on Wednesday that its net profits had almost doubled in the third quarter, boosted by a pensions deal with cabin staff. Net profits soared to 1.42 billion euros ($1.5 billion) between July and September. Last month, Lufthansa raised its profit forecast for the year, after recording better than expected demand from business …

  Bloomberg Avianca Holdings SA is studying options including the sale of a controlling stake and is set to receive bids next week from suitors including Delta Air Lines Inc. and United Continental Holdings Inc., people familiar with the matter said. The offers, due by November 9, may include about $500 million in new capital for Bogota-based Avianca, plus a …

  Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc plans to start flights from Frankfurt Airport, marking its first foray into one of Europe’s top aviation hubs and laying down a challenge to Deutsche Lufthansa AG, which has its main base there. Discount giant Ryanair will unveil the strategy at a joint press conference with airport operator Fraport AG on Wednesday, according to invitations …

  Bloomberg Aerion Corp., backed by Texas billionaire Robert Bass, has hit a snag in one of the most crucial milestones toward building the first business jet able to fly faster than the speed of sound. The selection of an engine supplier for the plane, which Bass once said would occur in the first half of this year, is now …

  Zhuhai / AFP Aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus took potshots at one another at the Zhuhai air show, as the US and European rivals seek to capture more of China’s booming aircraft market. China is one of the Western manufacturers’ key battlegrounds, with its travellers taking to the skies in ever-growing numbers. The country’s airlines will need nearly 6,000 …