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Transportation
Sources say that drone attacks have reduced the oil loadings at CPC by about a fifth in July.
Four sources with knowledge of the data claim that drone attacks in the Black Sea wiped out a fifth (?5) of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's (CPC) oil loads in July, while the Russia-Ukraine conflict spilled over to affect Kazakhstan and western oil majors. Sources said that CPC loadings were'more than 20% behind schedule in July, falling to between 1.2 and 1.3 million barrels a day (bpd), after drone attacks near Black Sea export terminal disrupted supply. Reduced loadings resulted in the loss of 400,000 bpd of CPC blend oil for international markets during July. This added to the disruption of?atleast
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Passenger Transportation Services
Taiwan's annual war games sees Taiwan scramble French-made jets for rapid turnaround drills
Taiwan's Mirage fighters, made in France, were scrambled on Friday during an annual war game to show how they could be quickly re-armed and sent back into the sky during a conflict with China. The Han Kuang exercise began in Taiwan on Wednesday. The drills, which last 10 days, are aimed at assessing Taiwan's readiness to fight a possible attack by China. China regards Taiwan as its territory and has promised to take it back, if necessary, with force. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing’s claims of sovereignty. The crew of a Mirage fighter towed Magic II and MICA, both French-made, to
Passenger Transportation Services
Passenger Transportation Services
EasyJet's flight from airline disruptor, to US-led Apollo takeover
Apollo Global announced on Thursday that it had agreed to purchase European 'budget airline easyJet' in a deal valued at approximately PS5.7 billion ($7.7billion). Castlelake, the other potential buyer, abandoned its pursuit. Here's a look back at the 31-year history of the airline: Stelios Haj-Ioannou founded easyJet, launching flights from London Luton Airport in Scotland to Glasgow and Edinburgh. The low-cost airline challenges established carriers. EasyJet is listed in London with a valuation of PS777 million. 2009-2010 EasyJet is considering reducing fleet growth in the wake of a?global recession. Stelios steps down as founder of EasyJet to lead shareholder revolt...
Passenger Transportation Services
Castlelake pulls out of easyJet bid war
Castlelake announced on Thursday that it was no longer interested in acquiring easyJet. This ended its months-long attempt to buy out one of Europe's largest budget airlines, weeks after Apollo Global made a higher bid. The Minneapolis-based company, which is also a major investor in aviation, didn't specify the reason it "bowed out" of the race but stated that it was very appreciative for the constructive engagement it had with easyJet Board members and management. Castlelake's decision ends an investment pursuit in which the firm made five bids for easyJet. Among them was a PS6.90 share offer that was made...
Passenger Transportation Services
What is known about the German drone attack and the airport that it targeted?
German authorities opened a counterterrorism probe after a drone containing explosives was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport - a cargo and logistics hub for military purposes. The interior minister called it a hybrid attack. The discovery by airport workers of a 'drone' in a restricted zone on Tuesday led to flight cancellations and closures of certain parts of the airport. Alexander Dobrindt, the German interior minister, said that on Wednesday this incident had opened up a "new level" of danger. Here are some details on the drone incident that occurred at Leipzig/Halle Airport this week. From WORLD WAR II DESTRUCTION to...
Logistics
Media reports claim that the plane found near a drone at a German airport carried ammunition
The Sueddeutsche Zeitung, among other news outlets, reported that a Ukrainian cargo aircraft found parked next to an explosive-laden drone at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport on Tuesday night was actually carrying military ammunition. The report, also broadcast by NDR and WDR, cited a confidential police report and said that forensic experts determined the explosives on the drone to be of high military grade. These findings could raise the stakes of a wider counterterrorism investigation into the incident at a?airport that serves as a major military and cargo logistics hub, which the German government has classified as critical infrastructure. Alexander Dobrindt, the...
Passenger Transportation Services
The latest funding round of Hadrian Manufacturing Company valued the company at nearly $8 billion
Hadrian, a manufacturing startup in the United States, announced on Thursday that its valuation was $7.87 billion. To meet the growing demand, a larger footprint is needed. Investors have poured money into U.S. Manufacturing firms, as the Trump Administration prioritizes domestic manufacturing in order to reduce U.S. dependence on overseas supply chains for critical industries. The California-based firm raised $1.37billion in a?Series D round led by Washington Harbour Partners, WCM Investment -Management, 137 Ventures, Valor Equity Partners and Baillie Gifford. JPMorgan Chase’s strategic investment group joined as an anchor and co-lead?investor?through its Security and?Resiliency Initiative, which invests into U.S. businesses...
Transportation
Challenges facing new Air India CEO Tewolde Gebremariam
Air India, which is owned by Singapore Airlines and the Tata Group, named Tewolde Gebremariam its new CEO. This comes at a time of great challenges for Air India. From record losses to safety lapses, they have been under intense scrutiny from regulators. Here are the major challenges that former Ethiopian Airlines CEO,?Mr.?Mahmoud?Al-Ghani?faced: SAFETY & COMPLIANCE The Air India Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad, June 2025 that killed 260 people has increased scrutiny on the airline's safety culture and operations. Indian regulators have reprimanded Air India over lapses, including the operation of an Airbus A320 in multiple flights without having...
Passenger Transportation Services
Fraport exceeds earnings expectations as overseas airports compensate for Frankfurt weakness
Fraport, the German airport operator, surpassed expectations for its second quarter earnings on Thursday as a result of a growth in its international airports that helped to offset weakened passenger traffic at Frankfurt. In a LSEG survey, analysts had predicted that second-quarter EBITDA would rise 0.7% to 386.3 millions euros ($446million), but the actual result was?372million euros. EBITDA for the first half of 2013 grew to 582.3 millions euros. The first-half revenue increased 4% to 2.1 billion Euros. The number of passengers at Frankfurt Airport, Germany's largest airport, decreased by 0.8% due to strikes and disruptions resulting from the conflict...
Passenger Transportation Services
Qantas and the pilots' union have reached a provisional agreement on pay in talks
Qantas, an Australian pilots union and the airline announced on Thursday that they had reached a?provisional agreement? on a wage package after long-haul?pilots voted this week in favor of industrial action. This agreement would cover approximately 1,700 pilots flying Qantas Airbus A380, A330 and Boeing 787 jets on long-haul routes. The short-haul crews are covered by a separate contract. The Australian and International Pilots Association has expressed its satisfaction with the progress made during discussions at Australia's industrial arbitrator, the Fair Work Commission. "A broad agreement has been reached" (with Qantas). AIPA President Andrew Marshall stated by email that they...
Transportation
Tewolde Gebremariam is appointed as the new CEO of Air India
Air India appointed former Ethiopian Airlines Chief Tewolde Gebremariam to its 'CEO' post on Wednesday. The Indian airline is currently struggling with persistent losses, and increased regulatory scrutiny after a fatal crash last year. Gebremariam succeeds New Zealander Campbell Wilson. Wilson was a former Singapore Airlines executive who was appointed in 2022 as the new leader of Air 'India after it had suffered years of decline under state ownership. Air India reported that Wilson had informed Chairman N Chandrasekaran of his intention to step down in this year 2024. The 'Tata Group owned airline is suffering heavy losses, not only...
Passenger Transportation Services
Israel's El Al Airlines doubles second-quarter net profit despite Iran conflict
El Al Israel Airlines announced a doubling of its second-quarter profit on Wednesday. The airline cited recovery from the initial impact of fighting between Israel & 'Iran' despite a sharp increase in jet fuel prices. On February 28, the U.S., Israel and other countries launched airstrikes on Iran. During this time Iran fired missiles towards Israel. This effectively closed Israel's commercial airspace, forcing El-Al and its rivals to fly only limited routes. The conflict was briefly ended by a ceasefire on 8 April. Israel has not been dragged back into conflict despite the fact that Iran and the U.S. continue...
Passenger Transportation Services
Cathay Pacific reports its best first-half profits since 2010.
Cathay Pacific Airways announced a record-breaking first-half profit on Wednesday, as strong demand for passengers and cargo offset the higher fuel prices. Hong Kong's flagship carrier saw its net profit rise 71%, to HK$6.24billion ($795.59m), for the six-month period ended June 30. This is the second highest in the company's history. Last month, the airline forecast a profit for the first half of the year in a range?of HK$6 to HK$6.5billion. In a recent statement, Cathay Chairman Guy Bradley stated that the summer travel demand is expected to be strong into the third quarter. "We are cautiously optimistic about the...
Passenger Transportation Services
FAA investigates Trump helicopter safety incident
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing a Tuesday air-traffic incident involving a military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump. The FAA announced that it was investigating a Marine One safety incident. However, the FAA stated that the close call did not appear to be dangerous and the aircraft were not apparently convergent. Two sources said that Trump's Marine One helicopter left the White House on Tuesday afternoon. However, air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport had not stopped commercial flights as required by a policy set last year after a fatal accident. The Wall Street Journal was the...
Ground Transportation
Amtrak, the US passenger rail company, sets a record for ridership and cuts losses
Amtrak, the U.S. passenger rail company, said Tuesday that it had set records for revenue and ridership in a single year. It also cut its losses by 15 percent to $598 millions and is aiming for profitability by 2028. Amtrak is a major effort in rehabilitating the infrastructure of the Northeast corridor between Boston, Massachusetts and Washington. It is expanding service throughout the United States by purchasing new Acela trains with higher speeds and replacing regional trains from next year. Amtrak reported that in the twelve months ending September 30, it had 34,5 million trips made by customers, an increase...
Whaleboat sinks into river in Congo, killing at least 107 people
According to a government internal report viewed by us on Friday, at least 107 people died when a whaleboat caught blaze in the west of Democratic Republic of Congo. In a memo, the Ministry of Social Affairs stated that 146 people were missing after the boat, which was a narrow double-ended open vessel, caught fire near Malange Village in Lukolela Territory on Thursday night. The note stated that rescue teams recovered 209 survivors after the vessel burnt and drifted downriver. The fire destroyed the cargo and 15 riverside houses. The search operations continued Friday, with community volunteers and naval personnel...
As inventories shrink, premiums for copper contracts on the nearby LME soar.
The premiums for copper contracts near London Metal Exchange have increased to their highest level since October 2022 due to low inventories, large cash contracts and warrants held by traders. The title document that confers ownership on metal is a warrant. Tom-next, also known as the premium or backwardation that is charged for purchasing copper tomorrow and then selling it the next day, is currently trading at above The price of a metric tonne is $48. This compares to a $2 discount at the beginning of the week. The premium for the cash Copper Contract over the Three-Month Forward It...