Benelux

After inconclusive discussions in Berlin, the defence ministers of Germany, France, and Spain pushed discussions about a troubled European Fighter Jets Project to a meeting with government leaders next week. Boris Pistorius, of Germany, Catherine Vautrin of France and Margarita Robles of Spain met on Thursday in Berlin to discuss the fate FCAS Project whose future is in doubt due to industrial disputes. Airbus, a German-and-Spanish-backed company, and Dassault Aviation of France are at odds with each other over issues such as technology and industrial control. These disagreements threaten to sabotage the 100 billion-euro project for renewing air power by...

Air India's?investigation of why one of their Airbus planes flew eight commercial flights with no airworthiness certificate found "systemic failings", and the airline admitted that it needed to improve on compliance. According to the document, an Airbus A320 carried passengers from New Delhi to Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad between November 24 and 25 without the mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC), a permit that is issued by the regulator annually after a plane has passed safety and compliance tests. Air India said that engineers and pilots failed to check aircraft documents. It also stated that it was necessary to improve compliance...

Air India's investigation into the reasons why one of its Airbus aircraft flew eight commercial flights with no airworthiness certificate revealed "systemic failings", according to a document from the company. This put?the lives and safety of hundreds of passengers in danger. On November 24 and 25, an Airbus A320 carried passengers from New Delhi to Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad without the mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC), a permit issued by the regulator annually after a plane has passed safety and compliance tests. Air India discovered that engineers and pilots failed to check documents for the aircraft and that compliance protocols...

The company announced on Tuesday that it delivered only 44 new planes in November compared to 53 in the previous month. This is behind European rival Airbus, which delivered 72 aircraft. Boeing delivered 32 737 MAX single-aisle jets to Southwest Airlines in November. TAAG Angola Airlines received six 787s including two 787-10s. This was a major part of their expansion plans. U.S. aircraft manufacturer also delivered two 777 freighters, one to Turkish Airlines (and one to Moldova's Aerotranscargo) and four 767s. In November, the company received 164 "new orders" with 38 cancellations. This amounted to 126 net orders. Boeing has...

The company announced that Airbus had secured Chinese approval to proceed with the delivery 120 jets previously ordered. However, the agreement signed in Beijing leaves 'the European planemaker waiting for progress regarding a new order of hundreds of jets. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, visited China for geopolitics and business talks last week. He did not mention 500 plane orders Airbus had been discussing over a period of a year – a package that is often associated with state visits. French media reported that Airbus won a contract that could lead up to 120 "new orders" in the future. Airbus...

Ryanair announced on Tuesday that it would reduce?1million?seats from its winter schedule in Brussels for 2026/27 due to Belgium's decision of increasing tax on air passenger tickets by 10 euros ($11.64). The tax hike in Belgium comes at a time when Germany has reversed its own levy on aviation after airlines, including Ryanair and EasyJet reduced their capacity. "Ryanair again calls on Prime Minister (Bart De Wever) and his govt to abolish the aviation tax, or Belgian traffic and fares would soar," said the airline in a press release. The Irish low cost airline announced that it would also'remove five...

IATA, the global airlines trade association, said on Tuesday that the airline industry would record record profits in 2019 despite supply chain issues causing delays and slower deliveries of aircraft. Airbus, the plane manufacturer, has cut its 2025 plane delivery target due to a quality problem with certain metal panels used on its A320 aircraft. In recent years, the world's two largest jetmakers Airbus (Airbus) and Boeing (Boeing) have both experienced delivery delays to their airline customers. Airlines say that they can't reduce fuel costs while increasing the number of passengers without newer, more efficient aircraft. IATA is optimistic about...

The 'International -Air Transport Association' said that the global airline industry will likely?miss their targets for using green jet fuel in the next few years. They blamed fuel producers and regulators. Sustainable aviation fuel, made from used or waste cooking oil and waste cooking oil, is a fuel that can reduce emissions significantly when compared to traditional jet fuel. It is still two to five time more expensive than conventional jet fuel. IATA anticipates that 2.4 million metric tonnes of SAF will be available by 2026. This represents just 0.8% the total fuel consumption. The wider aviation sector committed to...

IATA, the global airlines trade group, said that despite supply chain problems that have led to a slower delivery of aircraft and delays in introducing more fuel-efficient planes next year, the airline sector will post record profits. Airbus, the plane manufacturer, has lowered its 2025 plane delivery target due to a quality problem with certain metal fuselage panels of its A320 aircraft. In recent years, the world's two largest jet manufacturers Airbus and Boeing both faced delivery delays for their airline customers. Airlines say that they can't reduce fuel costs by flying more passengers if they don't have newer planes...

CMA CGM, the shipping group, is looking to raise approximately?325 millions euros ($378.3million) through a three-year bond that it can re-pay with its shares in Air France-KLM. CMA CGM can also repay the bond with cash or a combination of cash and Air France KLM shares. CMA CGM now holds 8.8% of Air France KLM's capital. It became a shareholder when it formed an air freight partnership in 2022. The cargo partnership was scrapped by the companies in early 2024, and CMA CGM’s share of that partnership expired in February. Ramon Fernandez, CMA CGM Chief Financial Officer, said that the...

A source in the industry said that the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the French President Emmanuel Macron plan to discuss the fate the troubled Franco German fighter jet project FCAS – or SCAF – during the week of December 15. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a 100 billion-euro ($116-billion) project that was floated over eight years ago, is mired in disputes among the companies concerned about workshare and prized technologies. A source with knowledge of the project said earlier this week that the defence ministers from the participating countries, Germany, France, and Spain, will meet on the 11th...

Airbus said that it delivered 72 planes to bring the total number of planes this year up to 657. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury cited the figure as a sign of a poor November following an industrial glitch. The world's biggest planemaker will have to deliver a record-breaking 133 planes to reach a revised 790 goal for 2025. The November tally is down from 78 the month before and 84 last November, according to a report released this week. The company's lower delivery data comes after a difficult week, in which it announced that there was a quality problem with some...

The European Finance Ministers agreed to move forward the customs duty on low-value parcels until next year to combat cheap Chinese ecommerce imports through online platforms such as Shein and Temu. The European Union has taken action to address the concerns of Europe about cheap imports from e-commerce. What is the problem? For parcels of e-commerce arriving in the EU, there is a "de minimis exemption" from customs duties. Customs exemptions allow online platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress to deliver clothes, accessories, and gadgets directly from Chinese factories to consumers at a rock-bottom price. Last year, the number...

InPost, a Polish parcel locker company, reported on Friday a 24% increase in its core earnings for the third quarter. However, it lowered its expectations for the full year citing increased investments in Britain. Analysts had expected a quarterly adjusted earnings of 1.02 billion zlotys, or $291 million. InPost now expects to see its adjusted EBITDA grow by a midteens percentage, as opposed to its previous forecast of a low to midtwenties percent growth. The forecasts of annual group revenue and volume remained unchanged. In the third quarter of 2018, the company delivered 351,5 million parcels. This is a 34%...

Bpost, the Belgian postal service, reported a surprise operating loss in its third quarter, due to seasonal weakness, and lowered its capital expenditure guidance for this fiscal year. The adjusted loss before taxes and interest was $3.5 million, compared to the profit of $10.3 million euros from a year ago. Analysts surveyed by the company expected a adjusted operating profit to be 6.7 million euro. The company reduced its forecast for gross capital expenditures to 140 million euros from 180 million euros earlier, and stressed the importance of disciplined spending in a gradual approach toward 2026. In a press release,...

Allegro, Poland's biggest e-commerce site, announced on Monday that it has signed a new contract with courier DPD to deliver parcels through the company's delivery service. Allegro is scaling and diversifying its logistics. Why it's important Allegro has taken steps to reduce its delivery costs. For example, it increased the merchant co-financing through its loyalty program and developed its own logistic muscle. KEY QUOTES Allegro stated in a filing that the agreement was part of its ongoing efforts to diversify and scale up the Allegro Delivery program by increasing cooperation with its logistic partners. By the Numbers Allegro stated that...

Allegro, the CEO of Polish ecommerce company Allegro, denied on Friday that Allegro was at odds with any of its business partners despite its relationship deteriorating with delivery partner InPost. When asked by reporters about InPost, Allegro CEO Marcin Kusmierz said: "We don't believe that we are in any dispute or business with any entity." InPost's shares dropped around 13% after the company reported a slower volume growth in Poland. The shares of InPost have lost over a third in value this year, but they were up by 9% as of 1340 GMT. Allegro shares were up about 2%. InPost,...

Allegro, the CEO of Polish ecommerce company Allegro, denied on Friday that Allegro was in dispute with its partners despite its relationship with InPost deteriorating in recent months. When asked by reporters about InPost, Allegro CEO Marcin Kusmierz said: "We don't believe that we are in any disputes or business with any entity." At 0945 GMT, InPost shares rose 4.8% after falling around 13% Tuesday, when it reported slower volume growth in Poland. Allegro shares were up 2.6%. Allegro has recently been sued by InPost for breaching their long-term agreement. According to JPMorgan, Allegro gets 30% of InPost's Polish revenues....

Northvolt's new owner Lyten announced on Thursday that it has appointed the former chief operating officer (COO) of the bankrupt Swedish company as the CEO of Lyten Sweden and recruited several other former executives from the failed company. Last month, the Silicon Valley startup Lyten announced that it had acquired Northvolt’s assets. This was a major development for future European battery production of electric vehicles. Matthias Arleth is the new CEO of Lyten Sweden. He joined Northvolt last July, shortly after reports of problems began to surface. Lyten announced that Sami Haikala will return to his former position as the...

InPost, a Polish parcel locker firm, reported on Tuesday a 12.6% increase in earnings for the second quarter. This was due to volume growth both in Poland and abroad. The adjusted earnings before tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), which is the profit before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation, were 999.5 millions zlotys in the third quarter, as compared to the 887.3 in the previous period. InPost operates in nine countries, including Poland. It is known for its automated package machines, or APMs. These allow customers to pick up or drop off their packages whenever they choose. The company confirmed its...

InPost, a Polish company, announced on Monday that it will buy a majority stake in Bloq.it's parcel locker network along with over 20,000 locker units in order to enhance its last-mile service in Europe. Why it's important InPost has established a dominant position on its native market of Poland, and has increased its international expansion in recent years. Bloq.it follows the acquisitions of Spanish courier company Sending and Yodel, both in Britain. KEY QUOTES In a press release, InPost CEO Rafal Brzoska stated that "our strategic investment in Bloq.it will have a positive effect on our growth trajectory as well...

Austrian Post joined other European postal service groups on Thursday in stopping the standard parcel shipment to the United States, as U.S. Customs Services are planning to charge duties for packages of low value. In a press release, the Austrian state-controlled company said that it will no longer accept consignments of standard parcels bound for the United States as of next Tuesday. The U.S. administration of Donald Trump announced last month that it would suspend global "de minimis", which allows minimal paperwork for international shipments below $800, with effect August 29. This week, there were several postal strikes. The following...

The bankruptcy of Northvolt will result in a large loss of funds for many of its creditors, said the process trustee on Friday. He added that the sale of Northvolt to the U.S. startup Lyten was a major achievement. Northvolt's unsecured creditor list includes its biggest shareholders Goldman Sachs, and Volkswagen, whose brands Scania Porsche and Audi had been customers of the battery manufacturer. Lyten, backed by Jeep owner Stellantis, and FedEx delivery service, announced on Thursday that it would purchase the majority of Northvolt. This move offers a chance for the European firm to regain its former prominence as...

Bpost, the Belgian postal operator, beat expectations for quarterly profits on Friday. The acquisition of Staci last year was a major boost. Bpost also said that it expects its operating earnings will reach the upper range of its guidance in 2025. In February, it forecast earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), which ranged between $175 million and $200 million. This was reaffirmed in June despite the two-week strike in the first quarter that affected results. Bpost's adjusted earnings per share (EBIT) rose by 1% in the second quarter to 58.3 millions euros ($68.3 million), boosted by contributions from Staci, a...