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Azeri BTC's daily oil exports for November are expected to increase by 3% m/m.
The differential between Brent and Urals crudes dated on Wednesday remained unchanged, but the Azeri BTC plan for exports from Turkey's Ceyhan Port in November was set at 15,3 million barrels compared to the 15.4 million barrels exported in October. Calculations showed that Azeri BTC crude exports would increase by approximately 3% per day in November compared to October. Alexander Novak, Deputy Premier of Russia, said that the country has gradually increased its oil production. It was very close to achieving the output quota set by OPEC+ last month. PLATTS WINDOW There were no bids or offerings reported on the Platts Window for Urals, Azeri BTC Blend or CPC blend crudes on Wednesday. According to sources, the U.S. delayed sanctions against Serbia's Russian owned NIS oil company that runs Serbia's sole oil refinery for a week, until October 15. The Nova Ekonomija portal in Belgrade reported this on Wednesday. (Reporting and editing by Kirsten Doovan)
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Brazil will not be introducing free public transportation soon, the chief of staff to the president says
Rui Costa said that the Brazilian president's chief of staff has no plans for the government to eliminate the public transport fares in Brazil this year or the next. This comes a day after Brazil's finance minister confirmed the results of studies assessing ways to fund the sector. Costa told a local radio station that there was no plan for this or next year. "I would like to be clear that the president has only asked for studies." A government source said that there were doubts about the logistical and the political feasibility of this proposal. Source: President Luiz inacio Lula da So has asked his economic team for an evaluation of the possible implementation of the measure. However, he is not in a hurry and doesn't intend to make it a part campaign promise. Costa said that the studies would be presented to President Obama so he could assess if the project was feasible and from where the money would come. If it is viable, the announcement will come at the right time. In an interview this week with Record TV, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad stated that the proposal will be included in Lula’s policy platform in Brazil next year when it holds its general elections. Haddad stated that "(Lula), knows this issue is very important for workers, environmental protection, and urban mobility." Investors' fears that the initiative might have negative fiscal consequences have caused the finance minister's comments to influence Brazilian markets. Reporting by Lisandra Parguassu, Writing by Fernando Cardoso, Editing by Rod Nickel
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ADNOC to pay out $43 billion as dividends to its subsidiaries by 2030
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company announced on Wednesday that six of its publicly listed subsidiaries would distribute 158 billion Dirhams ($43.02billion) in dividends between 2030 and 2035. ADNOC stated that the target amount is almost double the 86 billion dollars in dividends that the six subsidiaries collectively paid since ADNOC Distribution was listed in 2017 via an initial public offer. ADNOC has raised billions by selling stakes to its subsidiaries. It aims to be the top three petrochemical company in the world and top five gas company. Last year, it established the international investment arm XRG to help achieve these goals. ADNOC Gas and ADNOC Logistics & Services will also join ADNOC Drilling to pay quarterly dividends, providing more frequent returns for investors. ADNOC announced the news at an investor presentation of its listed subsidiaries. This was the first event that the group held. ADNOC Gas also announced that it had signed a 20 year gas supply contract with Ruwais LNG, valued at 147 billion Dirhams ($40 billion), to provide feedstock to the new LNG plant. The plant is expected to start production in 2028. It will more than double ADNOC’s LNG capacity. ADNOC said the merger between ADNOC and OMV, petrochemical companies Borouge and Borealis to create Borouge Group International is expected to be completed in the first quarter 2026. ADNOC and OMV have secured financing from global banks to finance the deal worth 56.6 billion Dirhams. This includes the acquisition of Nova Chemicals. ADNOC reported that BGI's deal with the companies will generate annual benefits worth 1.8 billion dirhams. The new entity will be the fourth largest polyolefins company in the world.
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Airbus delivered 507 jets during the first nine months
Airbus announced on Wednesday that it has delivered 507 aircraft in the first nine-month period. The fourth quarter will see 313 additional planes being delivered to meet the full-year goal of 820. In a sign that engine supply has improved, the world's biggest planemaker confirmed that it delivered 73 jets to customers in September. This was a record number for this month. Airbus' spokesperson confirmed that the number of gliders - or fully assembled aircraft waiting to be powered - had decreased from the peak of 60 reported earlier this year. However, the spokesperson did not provide a new estimate. The drop in gliders and the jump in September deliveries, from 50 last year to just 25 this month, suggest that the arrival of engines has accelerated in recent weeks after being affected by the recent strike at CFM supplier as well as the competing demand for spare engine from airlines. (Reporting and editing by Kirsten Doovan; Tim Hepher)
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Ryanair, a major Boeing customer, will see 737 production reach 48 units per month in April.
Ryanair, a major Boeing customer, said that it is confident that the U.S. aircraft manufacturer will be granted permission to increase the monthly production rate for its flagship 737 to 42 by October and to 48 by March orApril next year. Boeing, Boeing's biggest European customer, has repeatedly had to cut its growth forecasts because of delays. Boeing is currently working to stabilize production following a mid-air blowout panel on a new 737 MAX that occurred in January 2024. This exposed widespread quality and safety issues. Michael O'Leary is the Chief Executive Officer of Ryanair Group. His team regularly meets with Boeing management. He said he felt "fairly confident," that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will approve an increase in production monthly from 38 to 42 aircraft in October. RYANAIR - 'Pretty Confident' about progress at Boeing Will the FAA allow them to move to rating 48 next March or April? That would be a big jump. He said in an interview that he was "pretty confident" this would happen. After the panel explosion, the FAA capped 737 MAX output at 38 per months in early 2024. On September 26, it said that Boeing has not requested a rate hike, but if they did, FAA safety inspectors on site would do extensive reviews. Boeing stated earlier in the month that there were no supply chain issues that would prevent it from increasing monthly 737MAX production to 42 by the end of the year. Boeing's other major concern is when the MAX 7 and MAX 10 will be approved by regulators. Ryanair has placed 150 MAX 10 firm orders. Will they be able to get the MAX 7 or MAX 10 certified by 2026? Boeing tells us that they are now confident in the certification process. O'Leary, while praising recent achievements at Boeing and expressing his gratitude for them, said that there are no guarantees. He said, "We're confident but there is still a chance that it will be disrupted." Corina Pons is the reporter. Conor Humphries wrote the article. David Latona, Mark Potter and Mark Potter (Editing)
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As the shutdown continues, airlines prepare for a third day of flight delays
The major U.S. carriers are bracing themselves for a third consecutive day of delays as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration continues to face staffing problems for air traffic control as the stalemate regarding funding for the government continues. Nearly 10,000 flights were delayed on Monday and Tuesday. Many of these delays were caused by the FAA slowing down flights due to air traffic controllers absences in facilities all over the country, as the shutdown entered its eighth day. The air traffic control shortages during the shutdown are more severe than during the last major government funding halt in 2019, which occurred during U.S. President Donald Trump's second term. Maryland Governor Wes Moore, along with congressional Democrats, called on Wednesday for an end to the airport shutdown at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. They noted that air traffic control officers and Transportation Security Administration agents are working without being paid. Moore, a Democrat from Maryland, stated that President Trump was unable to "close a deal" in order to keep the federal government open. Kwiesi mfume (Democrat) called for supplemental laws that would pay air traffic control during a shut down. He said that people are starting to be concerned about flying, and as a country we shouldn't get to this point. During a 35-day government shutdown in 2019, the number of controllers and TSA agents absent increased as they missed paychecks. This led to longer waits at checkpoints. The authorities were forced to reduce air traffic in New York. This put pressure on legislators to end the standoff quickly. They are not paid. During the shutdown of the federal government, 13,000 air traffic control officers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers still have to report for work. The controllers will receive a partial pay on October 14, for work done before the shutdown. Moore stated, "Our BWI employees are still here." Moore said, "They do it because they are patriots." They do it because they understand the importance of their work. Sean Duffy, Transportation Secretary, said that since the FAA shutdown began last week there has been a slight rise in sick leave. Staffing in certain areas of air traffic has also decreased by half. Air traffic control shortages have been a problem in the U.S. for over ten years. Many controllers were working six-day work weeks and mandatory overtime even before this shutdown. About 3,500 air traffic control positions are not enough to meet the FAA's target staffing levels.
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Container traffic at Rotterdam's port is disrupted by a strike by lashers for higher wages
On Wednesday afternoon, the largest seaport in Europe, Rotterdam, went on strike for 48 hours to demand higher salaries. Meanwhile in the neighbouring Belgian port's main port Flemish harbourpilots were protesting pension reforms. The FNV union said that all workers of International Lashing Services (ILS) and Matrans Marine Services (Matrans Marine Services), the two lashing firms active in the Dutch ports, stopped working at 3:15 pm (1310 GMT), and will continue their strike to the same time Friday. The FNV stated that during the two-day strike, no container ships can be unloaded or loaded at the port while lashers are securing the ship's cargo. Niek Stam, FNV's spokesman, said: "Without lashers, the entire port grinds to an halt." The Rotterdam Port Authority said that the strike would certainly affect traffic but it is too early to estimate its impact. International Lashing Services and Matrans Marine Service were not available for immediate comment. Port authorities in Belgium have reported that the maritime traffic at Antwerp-Bruges was severely disrupted for four days by Flemish harbourpilots who were protesting federal pension reforms. The port of Antwerp, which normally processes 60-80 ships per day, only processed 31 vessels on February 2, with some delayed or stranded, and others headed to other destinations.
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Ryanair CEO: airline is on track to recover from last year's 7 percent fare decrease
Michael O'Leary, the Chief Executive of Irish budget airline Ryanair, told reporters in Madrid that it believes it will recover its 7% decline in fares from 2024 during this financial year. "The traffic has exceeded the target...Fares are expected to rise by 7% over the course of the year," O'Leary stated, adding that this summer's prices were "pretty close" to those of the summer of 2023. The CEO stated that the full-year results will depend on the pricing of the company's third-quarter, which includes Christmas, and the fourth-quarter, for which the company currently has "very little visibility". He said that the economic weakness in Britain, France and Germany was causing price sensitivities. This led consumers to switch to Ryanair over flag carriers such as British Airways or Air France. O'Leary stated that "there is less demand to travel across the Atlantic to America at the moment - (U.S. president Donald) Trump alienated people. More people are choosing to holiday in the Mediterranean or Europe and this has been good for Ryanair's businesses." (Reporting and writing by Corina Poons; editing by Kirsten Doovan)
Argentina's state airline company cuts staff, paths, passenger advantages ahead of possible sale
Argentina's state airline company, Aerolineas Argentinas, is slimming down for a capacity sale, shedding 13% of its staff, cutting moneylosing domestic paths and even removing snacks formerly readily available to guests, according to sources and documents seen . The cutbacks, a lot of whose information were previously unreported, become part of a backdoor effort to cut the airline company's problem on the state and lure personal financial investment. The drive is progressing, despite the fact that libertarian President Javier Milei's strategies to privatize the company have actually generated pushback. The provider, with Argentina's blue and white colors, is a major test case of Milei's promarket reforms, which are yanking South America's secondlargest economy in a sharply various instructions after years of huge federal government. They have actually enhanced the state's finances, but stunted financial growth and pushed up hardship.
Reuters spoke to 10 company executives, authorities, pilots, airline company workers and union members, and saw a memo on the strategies to simplify the airline company for sale.
The drive brought in hit operating results for Aerolineas in 2024, a senior business source stated ahead of the airline's release of full-year outcomes next week. Part of that shows the double-digit decrease in personnel targeted in the earlier document seen .
Our task is to get (Aerolineas) in order, the senior source stated, adding that the carrier intended to operate more like its personal counterparts.
That method, when the time comes and the federal government allows its sale, the company is more appealing.
In July, Aerolineas made a profit for the very first time in seven years, information shown Reuters revealed. Milei, a brash financial expert, took workplace in late 2023, pledging to shake up Argentina's subsidy-heavy economy with chainsaw cuts. He has faced pushback in Congress from privatizing Aerolineas outright, however is figured out to press his strategies through. His government has actually threatened to close the airline if it can not be privatized.
Either it is shut, to cut the deficit, or it is privatized, but it will not stay in the hands of the federal government, Milei informed local radio in November. The administration claims the airline has depleted federal government coffers by $8 billion since 2008 when it was put back in the hands of the state after a previous privatization in the early 1990s under Milei's idol, then-President Carlos Menem.
The transportation secretariat delayed remark to Aerolineas, which did not respond to requests for comment.
' LABOR IS OUR ONLY WEAPON'
The procedure to simplify the company involves cutting loss-making paths, freezing wages, using buyout programs and shedding agreement employees, six airline staff members informed Reuters. Even a modest food offering for guests dealt with the chopping block.
The airline company has actually cut its in-flight snack alternatives, conserving the firm more than $500,000 a year, the senior airline source stated, as the company took a cue from American Airlines which notoriously cut an olive from each salad served in very first class in the 1980s to lower expenses.
Aerolineas now provides just one dessert in executive class and has actually cut a cereal bar for economy guests, the senior business source added.
Unions and Milei's political opponents have actually fought back, with protests at significant airports damaging flight in current months, causing flight cancellations and delays. In December, Buenos Aires province's opposition guv said he would oppose any attempt at privatization.
Our labor is the only weapon we have, stated veteran Aerolineas pilot Juan Pablo Mazzieri, who sports a tattoo of the airline company's logo design, an Andean condor, on his shoulder. We don't. like doing it, but we're going to cause delays and. cancellations.. Milei argues that the carrier needs to end up being more competitive. His administration looked to deregulate the sector, enabling. inexpensive providers to increase operations and press an open skies. policy to enable foreign competitors to enter the market.
COURTING SUITORS
Milei has actually promoted selling off Aerolineas in one go. Undoubtedly, the company's CEO, Fabian Lombardo, told local radio that. a number of international airline companies had expressed interest. So far. those talks have remained informal, sources stated.
The only competitor to openly state interest is holding. business Abra Group, which manages Colombia's Avianca and. Brazil's Gol.
Abra is still conducting due diligence, and it stays. uncertain what an acquisition of Aerolineas would appear like,. Abra's chief industrial officer, Joe Mohan, informed an industry. conference in Dallas in November.
Aerolineas could be a tough sell, analysts cautioned. It would be much easier for someone to accompany a percentage. ( stake), the Aerolineas senior source said, pointing out the strategies of. German airline company Lufthansa to acquire a 41% stake in. Italian state provider ITA.
Still, Aerolineas has yet to bring banks and advisers on. board, according to the source, due to the fact that it requires more clearness on. the federal government's strategy.
Milei's Plan B might be offering the airline to its. employees, ridding him of both the firm's monetary headache and. its employees, whom he thinks about combative. Aerolineas states the. labor conflicts have actually cost the carrier millions of dollars.
The company has cancelled worker perks, such as payment. for commuting time, complimentary flights, dollar-based bonus offers and additional. vacations - which were all coming at the expenditure of poor. Argentines, according to the government.
A number of union leaders, however, state workers taking over the. firm was a non-starter.
The unions argue Aerolineas serves a social purpose beyond. its balance sheet, in a country that is 5 times the size of. France and which extends from the Antarctic to tropical jungle. in the north. Its cities are far-flung and transport links are. limited.
Since the start of the cuts, that included a government. aid on aircraft tickets, domestic travel in Argentina has. fallen 9%, information shows.
We're seeing nearly half the variety of flights we did a. year earlier, said Marcelo Austi, an Aerolineas gate representative at. Buenos Aires' regional Aeroparque airport. That's a massive. distinction..
(source: Reuters)