SYDNEY / Reuters Air New Zealand (NZ) Ltd, the biggest shareholder of Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd, has on Wednesday announced that it may sell its 26 percent stake in a sign that backers of Australia’s number two carrier are growing impatient with its slow profit turnaround. The move, nine days after Air New Zealand publicly supported Virgin’s request for a ...
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Kenya cancels plans to build terminal at international airport
Bloomberg Kenya’s government shelved plans to build a new terminal at the main international airport as the East African nation’s tourism industry struggles to recover from attacks by Islamist militants. The decision to halt the project at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is the result of “prevailing economic and financial dynamics which have been on a downward trend over the ...
Read More »Boeing to trim 4,000 jobs amid commercial jet unit makeover
Bloomberg Boeing Co. plans to cut about 4,000 jobs from its commercial airplanes division by mid-year as part of a broader effort to reduce costs amid fierce competition from Airbus Group SE. The US planemaker doesn’t plan any involuntary layoffs, for now. Rather, the savings will come from 1,600 workers who elected to leave the company under a voluntary program ...
Read More »Gol predicts business to worsen this year after posting net loss
Bloomberg Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA reported a fourth-quarter loss and predicted business would worsen this year in the face of declining demand and a shrinking Brazilian economy. The net loss was 1.18 billion reais ($324 million), the airline said in a statement after the close of trading in Sao Paulo. Fourth-quarter net revenue totaled 2.65 billion reais against analyst ...
Read More »Asian upstarts keen to tap into global aircraft industry
SINGAPORE / Reuters Indonesia is about to roll out its first passenger plane, one of several smaller, homegrown aircraft being studied in Asia, designed especially for short hops across the region’s emerging markets, where air travel is booming. State-owned aerospace firm PT Dirgantara Indonesia’s 19-seat N219, which cost $400 million and took just over five years to make, is scheduled ...
Read More »Virgin America to attract JetBlue, Alaska Air bids
Bloomberg Virgin America Inc. received takeover offers from JetBlue Airways Corp. and Alaska Air Group Inc. after the carrier backed by billionaire Richard Branson put itself up for sale, according to people familiar with the matter. Discussions between Virgin America and the two bidders are ongoing, and a deal could be announced as early as next week, the people said, ...
Read More »Brussels Airline decamps after terrorists wreck main hub
Bloomberg Brussels Airlines NV, which lost its main airport hub after the worst terrorist attack in Belgium’s history, has decamped to four other cities to maintain service, even using buses to get people to flights at alternative airports. After the bombing, which killed 11 at the airport, the carrier shifted some airplanes and crew to Frankfurt and Zurich, to maintain ...
Read More »Skymark exits bankruptcy, predicts first profit in 3 years
Bloomberg Skymark Airlines Inc. exited bankruptcy administration and forecast its first operating profit in three years after reducing its fleet, cutting routes and getting new funding. The carrier expects to report 1.5 billion yen ($13 million) in operating profit and sales of 70 billion yen for the year ending March 31, Skymark said in a statement on Monday. Skymark also ...
Read More »Fairfax to buy Bangalore Airport stake for $322mn from GVK
Bloomberg Indian airport operator GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd. said it sold a stake in its Bengaluru aerodrome to Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., helping cut debt. The shares rose. Fairfax will buy 33 percent of Bangalore International Airport Ltd. for 21.49 billion rupees ($322 million), GVK said in a statement to the Mumbai stock exchange on Monday. GVK, which also ...
Read More »Oman to increase air traffic fees in state revenue push
MUSCAT / Reuters Oman’s Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) will raise fees charged for air traffic through the sultanate, the authority’s chief executive Mohammed al-Zaabi told the official Oman News Agency. The decision is part of a series of steps by Oman to strengthen state finances as it grapples with a big budget deficit caused by low oil prices. ...
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