Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc’s passenger growth advanced at the slowest rate since 2014 in 2017 after it canceled thousands of flights to cope with a staffing crunch, sparking outrage among consumers and regulators. The 2017 customer tally was 129 million, or 2 million less than initially forecast, according to a statement from Ryanair on Wednesday, with December’s performance the worst ...

Bloomberg Two US airlines—American and Southwest—joined the tide of companies offering employees $1,000 bonuses to mark the tax overhaul Congress put in place for 2018. American Airlines Group Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co. announced the bonuses after the close of business. AAON, US Bancorp, Commerce Bancshares Inc. and Zions Bancorporation were among the companies touting similar moves. Banks, insurers and ...

Bloomberg Next Plc brought some cheer to UK retailers struggling with Brexit-related costs and the rise of online shopping, reporting stronger-than-expected Christmas sales and lifting its profit guidance. Shares of the apparel and home-furnishings chain, the first major British retailer to report on the holiday season, rose as much as 9.9 percent after it said price pressure would ease over ...

DUBAI / WAM HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has dedicated his accession day anniversary to thank His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for devoting his life to serving the nation ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Ministry of Finance (MoF) on Tuesday issued the first VAT inclusive purchase order, and approved the first VAT invoice on its federal financial system, becoming the first federal entity to implement tax procedures and issue a tax invoice in 2018. The ministry provides a fully-integrated system, a technical support team, as well as a telephone ...

DUBAI / WAM Marks & Spencer (M&S) on Tuesday confirmed the sale and franchise of its retail business in Hong Kong and Macau to its long-established franchise partner Al-Futtaim. The sale, which completed on December 30, sees Al-Futtaim become the new sole franchisee for M&S in Hong Kong and Macau. Al-Futtaim has worked in partnership with M&S since 1998 when ...

DUBAI / WAM Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) received a high-level delegation from Saudi Aramco company. The meeting heightened cooperation between the two organisations, with Saudi Aramco able to review practices and expertise at DEWA, including benchmarking and key performance indicators. The delegation included Khalid Al Salouli, Aramco Director and Head ...

SINGAPORE/ Reuters Oil prices posted their strongest start to a year since 2014 on Tuesday, with crude rising to mid-2015 highs amid large anti-government rallies in Iran and ongoing supply cuts led by OPEC and Russia. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures traded broadly flat at around $60.40 a barrel by 1425 GMT after hitting $60.74 earlier in the ...

DUBAI / Emirates Business Global trade enabler DP World’s Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) has welcomed Maysun Solar, the first photovoltaic panel producer to set up a manufacturing facility in the region’s leading free zone. Maysun Solar currently manufactures 5,000 solar panels a month with a capacity to generate 40 megawatts of electricity. The launch follows DP World’s on-going solar ...

DUBAI / WAM Mashreq Bank has announced that it was presented with nine awards at the Digital Bank Conference and Awards dinner hosted by Global Finance magazine in London. The dinner hosted at the RSA House in London saw Mashreq win awards for; Best Consumer Mobile Banking Global, Best in Mobile Banking Middle East, Best Mobile Banking App Middle East, ...