South-East Asia





Transport Infrastructure

Singapore courts: Thailand's 'Land Bridge Plan' is $31 billion amid the Hormuz Crisis

The closing of the Strait of Hormuz 'given Thailand the impetus it needed to move forward with a long-standing plan to establish a?logistics link between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Its government sought to court Singapore on Monday as a?potential investor. Thailand's government?said?it was reviving its "Land Bridges" project across the narrow southern peninsula, after recent disruptions along the Strait of Hormuz highlighted the vulnerability of global shipping choking points including the Malacca Strait. During a period of political turmoil, the previous administration had drafted a Land Bridge law. However, the proposal was abandoned due to incomplete environmental...




Transport Infrastructure

Passenger Transportation Services

Passenger Transportation Services

Airline cancellations in response to Middle East conflict

Middle Eastern carriers increased capacity following the Iran War, and airlines outside the Gulf have rerouted flights between Europe & Asia away from major hubs within the region. The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically: AEGEAN AIRLINES On May 21, Greece's biggest carrier will resume its flights from Heraklion, Rhodes, and Larnaca to Tel Aviv. Thessaloniki-Tel Aviv flights are cancelled up until June 26. Flights to Beirut will resume on May 12, and flights to Riyadh, Amman and Amman are scheduled to resume May 21. Dubai flights are suspended until August 31 and Erbil, Baghdad and Baghdad flights will...

Passenger Transportation Services

Airline cancellations in response to Middle East conflict

Middle Eastern carriers increased capacity following the Iran War, and airlines outside the Gulf have rerouted flights between Europe & Asia away from major hubs in the area. The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically: AEGEAN AIRLINES On May 21, Greece's biggest carrier will resume flights from Heraklion to Tel Aviv, as well as Rhodes and Larnaca. Thessaloniki-Tel Aviv flights are cancelled up until June 26. Flights to Beirut and Riyadh will resume on May 12, and flights to Amman and Riyadh on?May 21, respectively. Dubai flights are suspended until August 31 and Erbil &?Baghdad flights until July 2....

Passenger Transportation Services

Scoot, the budget airline of Singapore Airlines, has ordered 11 Airbus A320neo jets

Scoot is the low-cost division of Singapore Airlines. It has ordered five Airbus A320neo aircraft and exercised options on six more. The carrier wants to increase capacity and open new routes. Scoot announced that the new narrowbody aircraft will be powered by Pratt & Whitney geared 'engines. Scoot stated that the expansion will'support new services in a 5- to 6-hour flying radius. This will strengthen Singapore's air links with Southeast Asia and North Asia and other key??markets. It also improves connections to the SIA Group?s wider network. Scoot CEO Leslie Thng stated that they expect the travel demand to grow...

Passenger Transportation Services

Bloomberg News reports that AirAsia founder Fernandes is planning to launch a new airline.

Bloomberg reported that Tony Fernandes, AirAsia's co-founder, is planning to launch a new airline based on the high volatility of oil prices. Reports indicate that the new airline could be announced in the next few months. The carrier group has also moved some planes to the venture. AirAsia?did not immediately respond to comments. Fernandes didn't respond to a LinkedIn message. AirAsia, the Malaysian budget carrier, is planning to sell up to $600 million of bonds and is in discussions with Malaysian banks for a refinancing loan that will lower interest rates. Fernandes said in a Bloomberg video interview late on...

Passenger Transportation Services

Price hikes and outlook cuts are used by airlines to combat the fuel price surge.

The aviation industry was blindsided by the sudden increase in jet fuel costs from $85 to $100 to $150 to $200 per barrel during the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. Fuel accounts for as much as a quarter or more of the operating costs, which has forced airlines to raise their fares and change their financial forecasts. Here is an alphabetical list of the ways airlines are responding to this issue: AEGEAN AIRLINES The Greek airline anticipates that the suspension of Middle East flights, as well as a spike in fuel costs will have a "notable" impact on its...

Passenger Transportation Services

AirAsia and Airbus to announce 150-jet A220 order on Wednesday, according to sources

Airbus will announce a new order for 150 A220 jets on Wednesday. This is a major boost for the planemaker's small jetliner, which has lost recent orders to Brazil-based Embraer. Quebec holds a minor stake in the A220 Program, which is produced in Mirabel to the north of Montreal and on a separate assembly in Mobile, Alabama. Mirabel is where A220 planes are manufactured for non-U.S. clients. Sources said that Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister will attend the announcement. The matter is confidential. Airbus Canada and Carney's spokesperson declined to comment about the order or the event, which may change...

Passenger Transportation Services

Airline cancellations in response to Middle East conflict

Middle Eastern carriers increased capacity following the disruption caused by the Iran War, while airlines outside of the Gulf have rerouted flights between Europe and Asia away from major hubs within the region. The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically: AEGEAN AIRLINES On May 21, Greece's biggest carrier will resume flights from Heraklion to Tel Aviv, as well as Rhodes and Larnaca. Thessaloniki-Tel Aviv flights are cancelled up until June 26. Flights will resume to Beirut, Riyadh, and Amman on May 12. Flights from Dubai to Erbil and Baghdad will be cancelled until July 2, while flights to Dubai...

Passenger Transportation Services

Sources say that the Air India CEO search has narrowed down to Singapore Air executive Kannan and insider Aggarwal.

Two sources who have direct knowledge of this matter say that Vinod Kanan, the Singapore Airlines CEO and Air India's Nipun Aggarwal, the commercial head of Air India are the frontrunners for the position of new CEO at Air India. This suggests that the search for the next CEO of India's second largest airline is close to completion. New Zealander Campbell Wilson announced last month that he resigned from the airline due to its persistent losses and regulatory scrutiny. One source said that the board of 'Tata Sons', the majority owners of the airline is currently discussing both names. There...

Passenger Transportation Services

Sources say that the Air India CEO search has narrowed down to Singapore Air executive Kannan and insider Aggarwal.

Two sources who have direct knowledge of this matter say that Vinod 'Kannan, the Singapore Airlines CEO and Air India's commercial head Nipun Aggarwal will be the two frontrunners for the position of new CEO at Air India. This suggests that the search for the next CEO of India's second largest airline is close to completion. Last month, New Zealander Campbell Wilson announced his resignation as the airline faced persistent losses and regulatory oversight. One source said that the board of Tata Sons - the majority owner of 'airline' - is considering both names. There has not been a final...

Passenger Transportation Services

Airline cancels flights due to Middle East conflict

Middle Eastern carriers increased capacity after the U.S. - Israel war against Iran caused severe disruption. Airlines outside the Gulf are continuing to reroute routes between Europe and Asia away from major hubs. The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically: AEGEAN AIRLINES On April 28, Greece's biggest carrier resumed flights from Athens to?Tel Aviv. Flights to Tel Aviv will also resume from Heraklion and Rhodes from May 21. Thessaloniki-Tel Aviv flights are cancelled until June 26. Flights to Beirut will resume on May 12, and flights to Riyadh, Amman and Amman are scheduled to resume on May 21. Dubai...

Passenger Transportation Services

High fuel prices and flight cancellations help Chinese stay close to home during May holidays

As fuel costs rise, the demand for overseas travel is expected to decrease. Travel agents and industry experts expect that most holidaymakers will stay in China. This trend has been seen during recent major holidays, as consumers choose cheaper local destinations due to an economic slowdown. The rising cost of jet fuel following the war with Iran has made travel abroad even more expensive. Price increases have led to a wave cancellations of flights between China and Southeast Asia. Media reports indicate that multiple carriers, including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Spring Airlines, and Malaysia's AirAsia, have reduced or suspended...

Logistics

US companies show resilience as Iran war threats mount

The top American companies, from GM and Coca-Cola to Coca-Cola, are trying to reassure their investors that they will be able to weather the financial fallout of the Iran War despite the fact that fuel prices and packaging costs have risen. Since the beginning of the conflict, oil prices have increased dramatically. This has pushed up the cost of inputs in industries that are already under pressure from U.S. Tariffs. This increase forces companies to consider price increases at a time consumers are already feeling the strain. Reviewing company statements from the'start of war' revealed that 24 companies had withdrawn...

Passenger Ground & Sea Transportation

Passenger Marine Transportation

Operator claims that a tanker was attacked during a transfer in Iraqi waters.

Zefyros's manager in Greece confirmed that the tanker was struck by a missile overnight during a ship-to -ship transfer. Benetech Shipping SA reported that the incident took place at Iraq's Umm Qasar Anchorage late Wednesday during a transfer of fuel cargo with the Safesea Vishnu Tanker. All 23 crew members have been accounted for and are safe. The 23 crew members were evacuated and brought to land, according to a statement. SOMO reported that the Safesea Vishnu had been chartered by a company in Iraq contracted with State Organization for the Marketing of Oil. The Zefyros, meanwhile, was loaded with...

Passenger Ground & Sea Transportation

Construction-related accidents are on the rise in Thailand

A crane fell onto a train moving in the northeastern part of Thailand on Wednesday, killing dozens of people. This is just the latest in a string of construction accidents that have occurred in recent years. Other fatal construction accidents in Thailand March 28, 2025: A?partially constructed 30-storey Bangkok tower collapsed in a 7.7-magnitude quake which struck central Myanmar. At least 89 people were killed. Construction was carried out by Italian Thai Development PCL - a large construction company that was also involved in building the rail line at the time of Wednesday's accident. In?August, the president of ITD and...

Passenger Ground & Sea Transportation

In Thailand, crane accident kills 19 and injures 80 after it falls onto a train

Police said that a train derailed on Wednesday in northeastern Thailand after a crane fell?on to three of its carriages. At least 19 people were killed and about 80 injured. The accident occurred on Wednesday morning, in the Sikhio District of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, 230 kilometers (143 miles), northeast of Bangkok. It happened on a train from the capital heading for Ubon Ratchathani. The local police informed? Local police told? The team backed off for safety reasons after discovering that 19 bodies had been recovered. However, there were still some bodies inside the train carriages, which could not be removed...

Transportation

Ground Freight

Ground Freight

Tsingshan wants to list Indonesian aluminum on the LME

A notice published by the London Metal Exchange on Thursday showed that China's Tsingshan Group has applied to have aluminium produced at its Hua Chin joint venture in Indonesia?available for delivery?on the London Metal Exchange. Hua Chin - where Tsingshan and Huafon Group are partnered by fellow Chinese company Huafon Group - would be the only Indonesian brand of high-grade primary aluminum to be accepted by LME, after state-owned Inalum. * The application is being made as Indonesia ramps up production and exports, potentially compensating shortages caused by war in the Middle East. According to a LME notice, the second...

Ground Freight & Logistics

AirTrunk, an Australian company, invests $3 billion in two new data centers in Malaysia

Australia's?AirTrunk?said Thursday that it would invest $3 billion in?building two hyperscale?data?centers?in Malaysia, doubling its existing business there. The two data centres, which will be located in Johor Bahru have a combined power of over 280 megawatts. They are also close to the existing AirTrunk data center campuses. AirTrunk said that the four data centers would have a capacity of more than 700 Megawatts and the investment value in Malaysia will be $6.8 Billion. AirTrunk CEO Robin Khuda said that the demand for cloud-based AI infrastructure in Asia-Pacific was growing faster than expected. "Our job is not only to be ahead...

Ground Freight

HOLD Gupta, a businessman, was denied permission to appeal the Trafigura nickel fraud case.

The 'London High Court' refused to allow Indian businessman Prateek gupta, who was found guilty of defrauding commodities trader Trafigura by using fake nickel cargoes. The Geneva-based 'Trafigura' alleged that Gupta had been the mastermind behind a fraudulent "Ponzi Scheme" where he and his firms agreed to deliver high-quality nickel 99.8% but delivered low-value materials or even worthless ones instead. Gupta admitted he didn't deliver high-grade Nickel cargoes, but said Trafigura?staff designed the scheme. Former Trafigura head nickel trader Sokratis Oikonomou denies this. Last month, Judge Pushpinder Saini found that Gupta's companies and Gupta had induced Trafigura to sign contracts...

Ground Freight & Logistics

Some US investors are turning to infrastructure amid the AI sell-off

Wall Street's love for artificial intelligence giants is cooling, and some investors are shifting their focus to infrastructure companies, which they believe will benefit from AI spending. This shift has spawned a number of new products. Shares of AI tech giants like Alphabet and Amazon have seen sharp drops after huge gains over the past few years. Investors are worried that returns on their "massive investments" in developing smarter AI system won't justify these lofty valuations. Asset managers say that investors should focus on companies receiving the checks, such as chipmakers, data centers, and utility firms, which provide the nuts...

Ground Freight

Trafigura wins $600 Million Nickel Fraud lawsuit against Gupta

Trafigura has won its London case against Indian businessman Prateek?Gupta regarding fake nickel cargoes on Friday. The High Court of London ruled in favor of the commodities 'trader. Trafigura, a Geneva-based company, claimed that Gupta and his companies were the masterminds of a fraudulent Ponzi scheme??in which they agreed to deliver high-quality nickel 99.8% but instead delivered low-value materials or even worthless ones. Gupta acknowledged he didn't deliver high-grade Nickel cargoes, but claims Trafigura staff designed the scheme. Former Trafigura head nickel trader Sokratis Oikonomou had denied this in his testimony given in November. Judge Pushpinder Saini ruled Trafigura had...

Ground Freight

In December, the share of copper from China in LME stock fell.

Data from the London Metal Exchange showed that the share of China-made Copper among the available London Metal Exchange stock fell in December. This was due to the outflows?of the inventory in the LME registered?warehouses?in Asia. The percentage of copper stocks that are available - or those on warrant The data revealed that 79% of the - in LME's warehouses were of Chinese origin at the end last month. This was down from 85%?in November. A LME warrant is an ownership document. The absolute number of Chinese copper stock on the LME dropped to 87,475 tons by the end last...

Ground Freight

Gupta denies knowing about duplicate cargoes as testimony in Trafigura fraud case closes

Indian businessman Prateek gupta was accused of orchestrating a $600m metals fraud by commodity group Trafigura. He told a court in India on Friday that he didn't know who within his companies had allegedly made fake documents for selling the same cargo to multiple customers. The long-running trial concluded on Friday with the testimony. It will resume again on December 10, for closing arguments. Trafigura, a Geneva-based company, sued Gupta in more than two years. It claimed that he had orchestrated a ruse where he and his firms agreed to deliver pure nickel instead of steel or scrap. Trafigura's lawyers...

Ground Freight

Trafigura accuses Gupta weaving an incoherent web for $600 million nickel scam

Lawyers at Trafigura said that Prateek Gupta’s claims that the group devised a secret plan to exchange expensive nickel for low value metals are full of contradictions. The Indian businessman was giving evidence in an ongoing fraud case. Trafigura, a Swiss commodity trader, sued Gupta two years ago. It claimed that he was behind a scam where he and his firms agreed to deliver pure nickel but instead delivered scrap steel or other metals. Gupta countered by claiming that Trafigura staff themselves designed the scheme at the heart of the case. Trafigura, however, has denied this claim repeatedly. Gupta, who...

Ground Freight

Trafigura lawyers claim Gupta has a history of fraud prior to the alleged $600 Million nickel scam

Lawyers for Trafigura accused Prateek gupta, an Indian businessman who gave his first testimony on Wednesday, of a long history of fraud. Gupta admitted that he was under investigation for fraud in India but denied these allegations when he appeared in the High Court of London. Trafigura, a Swiss company, sued Gupta two years ago. It claimed that he was behind a scam where he and his firms agreed to deliver pure nickel but instead delivered scrap steel or other metals. Nathan Pillow, a Trafigura lawyer, cited two more fraud cases in which low-value metals were substituted with nickel. Gupta...

Ground Freight & Logistics

China Gas Holdings hires an ex-utility LNG Trader to lead global Gas Trading

China Gas Holdings, a privately-controlled city gas distributor, has hired an ex-senior trader of the Chinese utility GCL Group as its head of global natural gas sales. Xiong Xin was the head of gas trading for GCL New Energy Holdings (a unit of GCL Holdings), a solar power company, until early 2024. He joined China Gas in Oct. Xiong has nearly a decade's worth of experience in trading at the state oil giant CNOOC, and privately owned Chinese gas company ENN, before he joined GCL. He now heads China Gas’ growing liquefied gas trading business, as well as liquefied petrol...

Ground Freight

Sources claim that Trafigura has flooded LME Malaysia with aluminium.

Three sources with knowledge of the matter said that Trafigura had delivered large quantities to London Metal Exchange-approved warehouses in Malaysia to take advantage of a financial agreement. Sources said that they did not know the details of the deal, which could have been incentives or rent deals. Trafigura has declined to comment. On October 30, the LME-registered warehouses at Port Klang in Malaysia saw an increase of nearly 100,000 metric tonnes in their stock of aluminium. The total now stands at 366,850 tonnes. Sources said that Trafigura had put the majority of this aluminum on LME warrants, which are...

Ground Freight

Aquilius raises $1 billion for Asia's biggest real estate secondary fund

Aquilius Investment Partners, a Singapore-based company, announced on Monday that it had raised $1.1 billion to fund its second Asia Pacific Real Estate Secondaries Fund, making it the largest in the region. According to Preqin, secondaries, where investors purchase existing stakes in funds, are the fastest-growing alternative strategy globally. Data provider predicts that global alternative assets will reach $29.2 trillion in 2029. Secondaries are projected to grow at the fastest rate of 13.1% per year through 2029. This is due to slow exits and increasing private wealth demand. Aquilius announced in a press release that the fundraising included over $750...