Western Europe

IAG announced on Friday that British Airways finance chief Jose A. Barrionuevo will be the new group CFO, starting in June. Nicholas Cadbury is being replaced as part of an organized succession plan. The shares of the group which includes Iberia and Vueling, as well as Aer Lingus were down by 1.3% to 430 pence at 0831 GMT. Barrionuevo is taking over at a time of'substantial?weakness' in the U.S. market, which is threatening to undermine overall profits. Luis Gallego, CEO of IAG, said that Barrionuevo has a wealth of experience. "Our focus is on performing for our clients, in transforming...

France's aerospace sector expressed concerns on Thursday about the "weaponisation of global supply chains" as major powers pursue their geopolitical goals. It also warned that rare earths remain a possible pressure point, despite an?U.S. - China trade truce. Olivier Andries is the president of France's GIFAS aeronautical association and CEO of Safran. He said that 90% of the industry’s needs for rare elements are supplied by China. "There's a trend to weaponise the supply chain and use the dependence on critical supplies as a means of creating a geopolitical edge. This is especially true for 'rare earths, which is a...

Snow and ice brought misery for travellers in north-west Europe on Wednesday, but joy to others who set off to explore a snowy Paris on skis and sledges. Storm Goretti, which blew in from the Atlantic Coast, hit Paris at dawn, with heavy snowfall that caused further flight cancellations, traffic jams, and transport disruption. As shops prepared for the first New Year's sales, the city's buses were suspended. Tourists and locals alike enjoyed the rare sighting of snow-covered Paris. Some even took the opportunity to ski along the Champs de Mars gardens and down the slopes at Montmartre. "It's exceptional,...

West Europe was bracing itself for more snow and freezing rain on Wednesday as the first named storm in the year hit the continent's Atlantic coast. As storm Goretti approached the region, more flights were cancelled and train services disrupted. Roads were also blocked. As the sun rose, heavy snow fell in?the _Paris region. The south of Britain will be affected most on Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, cold weather warnings were issued for large parts of France and Britain. Meteo France, the French weather agency, warned that snow would extend across the northern half?of?the country Wednesday. Met Office in...

Five people died on French roads after being struck by freezing weather on Tuesday. Snow and ice conditions forced the cancellation of hundreds flights in the Netherlands. A computer outage caused a disruption to the entire rail network in the Netherlands. All services were suspended on Tuesday morning. After 0900 GMT trains began to run in some parts of the Netherlands, but there were still problems in the area around Amsterdam. The high-speed Eurostar service to Paris from Amsterdam was either cancelled or delayed. Over?400 flights have been cancelled at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, the majority of which were by Air...

The European Commission extended the deadline for SATA and TAP to complete divesting assets in order to qualify for the state aid provided by the Portuguese government. Portugal's government restarted its long-delayed plan to privatise the flag carrier?TAP in 2013, stating that it would sell a 49.9% stake of the company within one year. The European Commission announced on Monday that it had extended 'until the end of December 2026 the deadline for SATA to sell a majority stake of 51% in Azores Airlines. The deadline for divesting TAP's shares in the service units SPdH & Cateringpor was also extended...

Budget airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air reported strong passenger growth in December compared to the previous year, reflecting the robust demand for holiday travel among budget-conscious 'holidaymakers. According to data collected by the airlines, Ryanair is Europe's biggest budget airline, measured in passenger numbers. It carried 14.5 million passengers, an increase of 7% from December 2024. Wizz Air, on the other hand, flew 5.85 millions passengers, an increase of 15.5% from year-to-year. The continued popularity of budget travel is evident as European holidaymakers seek out affordable flight options during the Christmas period despite economic uncertainty. Ryanair reported that it operated...

Due to technical problems with the landing guidance system, and poor visibility at Bergamo Orio-al-Serio airport in Italy, flights were halted on Saturday evening. This left thousands of passengers stranded over night. SACBO, which operates the airport, stated in a press release that the technical issue was resolved around midnight. However, a warning posted on the website of the 'airport' warned "flights could be delayed or canceled". Local media reported that the incident led to 26 flights being cancelled, 6 being diverted to other airports, and 7 being rescheduled for Sunday. Images show people sleeping on the ground and luggage...

Air China, China's largest carrier, announced on Tuesday that it and its subsidiary signed a "pact" with Airbus for the purchase of 60 A320NEO aircraft. The deal is worth approximately $9.5 billion in list prices. This announcement is just the latest of a series made by carriers in the second largest aviation market in the world, including Spring Airlines and Juneyao Airlines. Both plan to buy Airbus aircraft. Air China has informed the Shanghai Stock Exchange that it will deliver its planes in batches from 2028 to 2032. Airbus said that it was "very pleased" with Air China's decision to...

The European stock market closed at a record level for the second consecutive day on Tuesday. This was boosted by commodity-linked stocks and banks, but gains were limited by thin trading in the year-end period. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose by 0.6% to?592.78, moving ever closer to 600 points. Aerospace and Defence gained 1.4%, while banks jumped 1.3%. The defence index is on track to achieve its largest annual gain since 1996 despite the fact that it has been easing off since October. This is due to increased defence spending pledged across Europe. STOXX 600 rose 1.7% as basic...

According to stock exchange filings, China's Spring Airlines (China) and Juneyao Airlines (Japan) announced Monday plans to buy 30 and 25 Airbus A320 family?jets. Spring Airlines, a budget carrier in China, has signed a deal to purchase 30 A320neo planes at a list price of $4.13 billion. The company filed corresponding documents with the Shanghai Stock Exchange. It said that the jets would be delivered in batches between 2028-2032. In a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange,?Juneyao Airlines of Shanghai said that it planned to sign an agreement?with Airbus to buy?25 A320 family jets. The planes, based on their list...

Indonesian rescuers found a dead body on Monday while searching for Spanish soccer coach Fernando Martin, his children and their boat after it sank on Friday near the coast of an?popular tourist destination. Martin was a coach for the Spanish club Valencia CF. The club confirmed that he and three of his children had died in a tragic boating accident in Indonesia. Authorities said that the boat Martin was on with his family capsized Friday due to an engine failure in bad weather conditions near Labuan Bajo. This location is close to the Komodo National 'Park, a UNESCO World Heritage...

PlusAI, the self-driving vehicle startup, announced on Monday that it would launch Southern Europe's very first program to test heavy-duty autonomous vehicles. It will also expand its partnership with Iveco Group and brand IVECO. Two IVECO S-Way truck equipped with PlusAI’s Level 4 autonomous driving.system will be tested on a 300-km route between.Madrid.and Zaragoza in 2026. A safety operator will also be onboard. Trials will be conducted with Spanish logistics operator Sese, and the regional government of Aragon. PlusAI in Silicon Valley, with offices in Europe and America, has been working with Iveco on joint research and tests for many...

Ziad El Chaar, CEO of Saudi real estate developer Dar Global, announced on Sunday that two Trump-branded luxury projects will be launched in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and Jeddah (Jordan). Chaar said that the projects include the Trump National Golf Course in Riyadh and the Trump International Hotel at Diriyah. This is a massive project located on the western edge of the Saudi capital. Chaar said that a mixed-use development called Trump Plaza is planned for Jeddah. Chaar stated that the projects were in line with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which aims to diversify its economy and move away from oil....

Senalia, a grain export terminal operator, expects volumes to double in 2025/26 compared to last year due to a rebound in French harvest production and a brisk barley demand. Rouen, on the Seine River in Normandy, is France's main grain export hub. Rain-stricken 2024 reduced its export surplus, and port terminals were idle for part the season. Senalia, the cooperative-owned cereal exporter, has forecast that Senalia will load 3.8 millions metric tons in the current July-June period, up from just 1.8 million in 2020/25. This is exactly what it did two years ago. He said that 1.7 million tonnes of...

Goldman Sachs dominated again the league tables of global dealmaking for 2025. It took the?marketshare and top spot in an year marked by high stakes political dramas and ever larger mergers. Goldman's No. 1 ranking was boosted by the rise of $10 billion deals, of which there were 68 in the last year totaling $1.5 trillion - more than twice as much as the previous year. According to LSEG data, Goldman has the No. 1 ranking. The firm was involved in 38 of these 'deals', more than any other investment banking firm, and the total value of the deals it...

Goldman Sachs dominated again the league tables of global dealmaking for 2025. It took the market share and top spot in an year that was marked by high stakes political dramas and ever-larger mergers. Goldman's No. 1 ranking was boosted by the rise of $10 billion deals, which totaled $1.5 trillion last year, or more than double the previous year. According to LSEG data, Goldman ranked No. 1 in the world. The firm was involved in 38 of these deals, more than any other investment bank. Total volume of advised deals was $1.48 trillion. This was the most active period...

Snowfall in the Netherlands disrupted air and train?traffic on Monday. Hundreds of flights had to be canceled and trains around Amsterdam were at a standstill. ANP, a news agency, reported that Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, which is one of Europe's busiest hubs cancelled nearly 500 flights Monday morning. The airport was closed to all incoming traffic from 1200 GMT until then due to the snow. ANP reported that planes heading for Amsterdam were diverted to another airport. Schiphol was unable to be reached immediately for further comments. Snow and freezing temperatures had already forced the airport to cancel hundreds of flights...

Equity investors looking for a smooth ride through 2026 may want to consider increasing their exposure beyond the artificial intelligence euphoria. Opportunities could be hidden in plain sight. Investors should be cautious. The valuations of U.S. equity are stretched. The Shiller price-earnings for the S&P 500 is above 40, which is very close to the levels during the dot-com boom in the 1990s. Markets have become 'highly concentrated. Goldman Sachs analysis shows that the five largest U.S. tech companies, Nvidia Apple Alphabet Microsoft and Amazon, have a combined value greater than?the Euro STOXX?50. This includes Britain, India Japan and Canada...

BNP Paribas has been in exclusive negotiations with Mercedes-Benz in order to acquire its car-leasing company Athlon. The French bank announced this on Thursday. BNP said that the acquisition would help strengthen its position on the European vehicle lease market, through its Arval division, by adding about 400,000 vehicles under full-service financing to its fleet. BNP's Arval division currently has a total fleet of 1.9 millions vehicles. In an interview, BNP Chief Operating Officer Thierry Laborde stated that this transaction was very important. It would allow the group to become the European leader for long-term rental cars. BNP Paribas will...

The federal government of Brazil plans to auction off the massive Tecon '10 container terminal at Santos Port in the first half of March, said Minister of Ports and airports Silvio Costa Filho on Friday. He said that more than 10 bidders have expressed interest in the auction, including the Philippines-based ICTSI, JBS, JSL and unnamed 'Arab investors. The Minister said that the minimum bid price will be below?6.4 billion (about $1.19 billion), the amount of money the winning bidder must invest to build and run the terminal. Roberto Lopes confirmed that the Rio Brasil Terminal, controlled by ICTSI will...

Argentina, a global food supplier, is planning to boost its grain and mineral exports through privatization, and a modernization program of its railway network. Industry leaders claim that this will reduce freight costs in regions located far from ports by half. The first tender will be for the Belgrano Cargas, which runs the three biggest freight train lines in the country. The initiative, which will be launched in early 2019, could increase production of global commodities like soybeans and corn. It also includes copper and lithium. The project could also help transport sand from Vaca Muerta in Argentina's Southwest. The...

VTB CEO Andrei Kostin said in an interview that Russian banks were willing to restructure Russian Railways' debt, as long as their central bank did not increase the reserve requirements on these loans. The Russian government is examining different options to support Russian Railways. This company, which is the largest employer in the country, has accumulated a debt of 4 trillion roubles ($50.8 billion), according to a report on Nov. 25, VTB is the second largest Russian bank and Russian Railways' largest creditor. The bank's top managers participate in weekly government discussions on how to handle the debt. These meetings...

A notice published by the London Metal Exchange on Friday revealed that Henry Bath & Son, a warehouse operator in Hong Kong has been the latest company to register a facility at the London Metal Exchange. According to the LME's notice, the warehouse is located in Hong Kong’s New Territories in the Kwai-Chung district. It can store nickel, lead and zinc, as well as copper, aluminum and aluminium alloy. The LME approved the first Hong Kong warehouses in January of this year. Its aim is to provide a gateway into mainland China, which is the largest metals consumer in the...