Bloomberg Vietnam Airlines is considering an order of 50 to 100 Boeing Co. 737 Max planes this year to replace its aging fleet of Airbus SE single-aisle aircraft and may also buy long-range jets in preparation for flights to California. The new aircraft will be for delivery between 2020 and 2030, Duong Tri Thanh, chief executive officer of the state-owned …

Bloomberg Falling gasoline prices pushed down Canadian retail sales for a second straight month in December, ending what was a weak fourth quarter and lackluster year for the industry. Retailers posted a 0.1 percent drop in receipts in December, extending a 0.9 percent drop in November — the most sluggish back-to-back monthly performance last year. For all of 2018, sales …

Bloomberg Qantas Airways Ltd. expects to completely recover higher fuel costs this fiscal year due to strong demand for air travel, even after rising oil prices dented first-half profit. The airline’s first-half underlying profit before tax fell 19 percent to A$780 million ($559 million) from a year earlier but Qantas announced more returns to shareholders with a A$305 million stock …

Bloomberg Optimism over a travel boom in southern China has fueled a surge in shares of China’s third-biggest airport. But some analysts say the rally in Shanghai-listed Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Co. will probably run out of steam soon. Baiyun Airport has gained 25 percent this year, outperforming a 20 increase in the broader A-share market. It was mainly fueled …

DUBAI / Emirates Business The sovereign long-term commercial borrowing in the Middle East and North African (Mena) could increase by 25% this year after falling 38% in 2018, according to S&P Global Ratings. This is chiefly because higher oil prices and fiscal consolidation measures in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries significantly reduced GCC sovereigns’ funding needs in 2018. However, lower …

Bloomberg Italian Finance Minister Giovanni Tria cautioned that the Treasury will consider taking a stake in struggling airline Alitalia SpA only if talks between potential investors produce a strong business plan. Speaking to lawmakers in the lower house of parliament, Tria confirmed that talks are underway involving Delta Air Lines Inc. and UK discounter EasyJet Plc, with state rail operator …

Bloomberg An Atlas Air cargo plane with three people aboard plunged out of the sky and crashed into a Texas bay as it was preparing to land in Houston. The Boeing Co. 767-300, which had departed from Miami, lost radio contact about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, the Federal Aviation Administration said. It fell …

Bloomberg Internet retailers such as Amazon.com Inc., Asos Plc and Boohoo Group Plc should pay higher UK taxes to help save ailing shopping districts that are losing revenue to e-commerce, according to a government report. An online sales tax, higher value-added tax and “green taxes” on shipping and packaging should all be considered to help soften the blow to physical …

Bloomberg Sweden’s largest food retailer ICA is preparing for its largest transformation yet to cater to a growing number of customers who want to shop for groceries online and have them delivered home. The 81-year-old company is following in the footprints of other Swedish retail giants like Hennes & Mauritz AB and Ikea in shifting investments towards e-commerce, advanced analytics …

Bloomberg The world’s largest energy trader says oil prices are set to rally further as Opec output cuts and American sanctions on Iran and Venezuela cause a “shortage” of the low-quality heavy crudes refiners rely on. “From here there’s probably the potential to be a little bit higher,” said Russell Hardy, chief executive officer of Vitol Group. “Oil supply is …