For 70 years, India has struggled to remain a secular state. In spite of its people being overwhelmingly Hindu, it chose not to distinguish between its citizens — or putative citizens — on the basis of their religion. That principle was what its founding fathers fought for, and what for decades led it to proudly distinguish itself from Pakistan, born ...

The big news of United Airlines was that the company’s longtime chief executive officer, Oscar Munoz, will step down in May. But many of the company’s most loyal customers were focused on a different transition: On December 4, United made the most substantial changes to its frequent-flier upgrade program in years. Flight upgrades are mostly a problem of the 1% ...

After a year of gridlock in Westminster that has frustrated the UK’s attempts to leave the European Union (EU) on amicable terms, British voters have handed Boris Johnson a thumping majority to do just that. They might also be handing Brussels a tough new competitor on Europe’s doorstep. This is sobering for the EU, which is on course to lose ...

Bloomberg Expatriate pilots flying Boeing Co.’s most popular plane for Chinese airlines used to be able to take their pick from dozens of jobs paying $300,000 plus perks thanks to a shortage of experienced aviators there. The grounding of the 737 Max has changed that. Chinese carriers have largely stopped hiring foreign pilots for Boeing’s main narrow-bodied jet, nine months ...

Bloomberg The US is expected to buy 22 aging fighter jets from Switzerland, a country that’s struggling to modernise its own air force. US Navy representatives and the Swiss defense procurement agency, known as Armasuisse, discussed the deal in July, an agency spokesman said by email. The contract is expected to be signed once US lawmakers approve the fiscal 2020 ...

Bloomberg Finland’s national carrier Finnair Oyj is starting its next big round of investments: as much as 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) on modernising and expanding its narrow-body fleet of aircraft to fly between European cities. The investment comes on top of 2 billion euros spent over the past five years on transforming Finnair’s long-haul fleet to boost fuel efficiency, ...

Bloomberg Sports Direct International Plc surged the most in a decade after the UK retailer said it’s seeing “green shoots of recovery” at its troubled House of Fraser department stores. The company, controlled by billionaire Mike Ashley, acquired the chain last year as the UK’s retail crisis deepened. Sports Direct said the outlook for House of Fraser is brightening after ...

Bloomberg Airline industry profits will come in lower than forecast this year as passenger numbers and cargo volumes are held back by slowing economic growth and global trade wars, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said. With less than a month left in 2019, the trade body has lowered its annual profit estimate to $25.9 billion — $2.1 billion less ...

Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary “screamed” at staff responsible for reducing pilot absences due to sick leave during a union dispute, an outgoing executive told a Dublin court. The shouting at monthly meetings to discuss the issue was at times “intense,” Chief Operations Officer Peter Bellew said in a Dublin court. He’s giving evidence over a ...

BRUSSELS / WAM During a forum held in Brussels, attended by Omar Ghobash, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Cultural Affairs, European parliamentarians and representatives of various religions called for the continued implementation and monitoring of the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. The document was signed on February 4, 2019 in Abu ...