Bloomberg Akasa Air, India’s newest carrier backed by billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, started ticket sales for its debut flights. The low-cost airline will initially fly Boeing Co 737 Max jets to four Indian cities, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kochi, according to a statement. The carrier will start operating 28 weekly flights between Mumbai and Ahmedabad on August 7, followed ...

Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s pilots’ union is holding a vote on whether to strike, a move that would further disrupt the airline’s crucial summer travel season. The VC pilots’ union is gauging support for a walkout as talks with the airline over pay and conditions stumble, according to a spokeswoman for the labour organisation. A strike could then take place ...

Bloomberg UK retail sales fared better than expected in June as a jump in bank holiday food sales helped mask the impact of the wider cost of living squeeze. The volume of goods sold in stores and online fell 0.1%, following a 0.8% drop in May that was bigger than previously reported, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Economists ...

  Bloomberg The head of United Airlines Holdings Inc apologised to US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg after the carrier publicly faulted regulators for worsening flight delays. Scott Kirby, United’s chief executive officer, said he reached out to clarify comments in a staff memo earlier this month. In it, a United executive said half of its delay minutes and the majority ...

  Bloomberg Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd extended the suspension of its London-Hong Kong flights by almost seven months to late March due to “ongoing operational complexities” even as the Asian city gradually eases some of the world’s tightest Covid-19 restrictions and people start to travel once again. The UK-based airline intends to resume the service on March 26, rather than ...

Bloomberg Taiwan has been left “hurt” and confused by contradictory signals coming out of Washington over a possible visit to Taipei by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi is planning a trip to Asia that would include a visit to Taiwan, according to people familiar with the matter. It would be the first by a House speaker to Taipei since 1997. ...

  Bloomberg China’s Xi Jinping wished US President Joe Biden a speedy recovery from Covid-19, as the two leaders prepare to speak over the phone to ease tensions between the two largest economies. The Chinese president sent the goodwill message to Biden, 79, on Friday, state broadcaster China Central Television said. Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, contracting the ...

  Bloomberg Singapore carried out its fifth execution for drug-related crimes in less than four months, Amnesty International said, while neighbors Malaysia and Thailand move to relax punishments for similar offenses. Nazeri bin Lajim was hanged Friday for possession of 33.4 grams (1.2 ounces) of heroin a decade ago, the rights group said, as Singapore continued to press ahead with ...

Bloomberg An international deal to restart grain exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports that have been blocked since Russia’s invasion is expected to be signed Friday, potentially easing concerns of a global food crisis. The agreement could help revive the crops trade from one of the world’s biggest wheat, corn and vegetable-oil exporters. However, it is unclear how the deal ...

  Bloomberg Russia and China’s deepening military cooperation that has included joint air and navy drills is raising security concerns in the region, Japan said in its first annual defense report issued since Moscow invaded Ukraine. In the report released Friday, the Defense Ministry detailed renewed concerns about the security of Taiwan, which China sees as territory that must be ...