Bloomberg A no-deal Brexit risks grounding half of Spain’s domestic passengers and a quarter of the total if British Airways parent IAG SA can’t show that its Iberia and Vueling arms are owned by European Union investors. One of the licensing conditions for operations by EU carriers is that they be controlled by nationals of member states, or the states …

Bloomberg Air Baltic Corp, the biggest customer for Airbus SE’s A220 jet, plans to use its latest order for the aircraft to establish a new airline elsewhere in Europe and could seek private-equity funding for the project. The Latvian company aims to deploy 30 A220s at the new carrier and replicate the model that brought it success at home, where …

Bloomberg The airline world has a new No. 2 after United Continental Holdings Inc’s aggressive domestic expansion pushed the carrier ahead of Delta Air Lines Inc in terms of passenger traffic. Early last year, United embarked on an effort to regain market share at its three mid-continent hubs in Chicago, Houston and Denver. Under a three-year push, United is targeting …

Bloomberg Calvin Klein is closing its Madison Avenue flagship store in New York this spring as the fashion label shakes up its strategy. The apparel maker owned by PVH Corp said it would begin using a “digital-first” approach and reorganise its North American division, combining operations in sportswear and jeans. Its higher-end Calvin Klein 205W39NYC business will get a makeover …

Bloomberg In an increasingly tough UK retail environment where the looming threat of Brexit has ground down consumer confidence, the holiday-shopping season was all about survival of the fittest. Tesco Plc, the country’s biggest retailer, weathered brutal price pressure and a decline in shopper visits better than smaller rivals, posting Christmas sales that beat expectations. But other stores more exposed …

ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) on Wednesday launched the #WeAreCommitted campaign, calling on the global community to pledge their support to sustainability. The online campaign has brought together Sheikhs, government ministers, amba-ssadors, business leaders, and young innovators to share their commitments. According to economic analysis, tackling sustainability-related challenges could save the global economy up to $30 …

DUBAI / Emirates Business Startup funding across Mena region witnessed a strong growth in 2018 with record number of transactions, according to a report released by Magnitt — leading data platform tracking the region’s startup ecosystem. The 2018 Mena Venture Investment Report — which provides an in depth analysis of startup funding across the Middle East and North Africa — …

Bloomberg The Trump administration wrapped up the latest round of trade talks in Beijing, noting a commitment by China to buy more US agricultural goods, energy and manufactured items. China and the US concluded three days of talks on Wednesday with a cautious sense of optimism that the world’s two biggest economies might be able to reach a deal that …

Bloomberg China’s crude oil purchases from the Middle East and West Africa dropped to a four-month low in December, following a buying binge the previous month that saw the Asian country’s stockpiles swell. Observed flows to China from the two regions dropped to 5.04 million barrels a day, the lowest since August, after reaching a 2018-high of 6.45 million barrels …

Bloomberg State Grid Corp of China, the dominant electricity distributor in the world’s biggest energy consumer, will invest 38.7 billion yuan ($5.7 billion) to build five pumped hydro storage plants as part of the nation’s efforts to ease idled solar and wind power capacity. The projects, in Hebei, Jilin, Zhejiang, Shandong provinces and the far west Xinjiang autonomous region, will …