Beijing / AFP Prada’s annual sales were broadly flat for a second consecutive year in 2015 as the slowdown in China continued to weigh on the high fashion and luxury goods brand. Weak sales in Asia Pacific outside of Japan and in the United States failed to offset an improved picture in Europe, where the weak euro bolstered sales to ...
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JAL pegs at forecasting $1.8bn operating profit next year
Tokyo / Bloomberg Japan Airlines Co. expects operating profit of at least 200 billion yen ($1.8 billion) in the financial year that begins in April, according to two people familiar with the situation. The profit forecast compares with 204 billion yen in operating profit expected in the fiscal year that ends in March. The country’s second-largest airline will update its ...
Read More »South African Airlines scraps Etihad alliance
Cape Town / Bloomberg South African Airways (SAA) will cancel a code- sharing agreement with Etihad Airways PJSC as the unprofitable carrier prepares to end direct flights between its home base in Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi, less than a year after introducing the route. SAA and Etihad signed a route-sharing partnership in May 2013 before expanding the alliance with additional ...
Read More »Airlines extending leases on 747s on cheap oil bet
Bloomberg Airlines are extending leases on gas- guzzling four-engine planes on a bet that fuel prices will stay low for as long as the next three years, the world’s biggest airplane lessor said on Thursday. “We’re getting a boost we did not think we would get,†AerCap Holdings NV Chief Executive Officer Aengus Kelly said in an interview on Thursday ...
Read More »From punch bag to saviour: Joyce’s rise echoes Aussie airlines’ rebirth
Canberra / Bloomberg It’s tough to overstate the tide of troubles that faced Alan Joyce, the chief executive officer of Qantas Airways Ltd., just two years ago. Losses had ballooned amid a capacity war with Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd. and its foreign backers. Australia’s government wouldn’t guarantee Qantas’s debt, which was junk- rated at the time. The airline’s share price ...
Read More »UAE’s non-oil trade hits AED1.75 trillion
ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE Ministry of Economy has said that the value of the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade reached AED1.75 trillion (US$476.4 billion) in 2015, a growth of up to 10 percent from 2014, according to its report. The figures in the first half of 2015 are positive indicators for the UAE’s foreign trade, including direct trade. In ...
Read More »Iran backs moves to stabilise oil market, refuses to cut output
Tehran / AFP Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Wednesday his country supported steps taken by other major producers that could stabilise the market and lead to price hikes for crude. But after a meeting with his Iraqi, Venezuelan and Qatari counterparts in Tehran, a day after Saudi Arabia, Russia and several other big producers agreed to freeze output, ...
Read More »Future of energy begins now, advise experts
Dubai / WAM The future of energy, especially in the current climate of oil price volatility, begins now, and oil producing nations must focus on strengthening the efficiency of their operations and commence energy diversification measures, said experts discussing the ‘Future Energy – After the Oil Age’ at the first Commonwealth of Independent States Global Business Forum 2016 in Dubai. ...
Read More »UAE, Singapore explore trade, investment tie-ups
ABU DHABI / WAM A 35-member high level business mission from the UAE government has visited the Republic of Singapore to explore strategic investment partnerships and strengthen trade exchange. The mission comprised key representatives from the government, public and private sectors. Headed by Abdullah Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade and Industry Affairs, the UAE ...
Read More »GIS technology can counter agriculture uncertainty
Alkesh Sharma Emirates Business Amid climate uncertainties and an ecosystem where soil character changes after every 100-mile, agriculture systems need to adapt to deal with the significant shifts. Here comes the role of GIS (geographic information system) technology that is contributing to enhance farming efficiency and raising yields. It is also helping agriculturists plan the right crops. GIS is integrating ...
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