Airports

Fight for Mumbai airport is cattle-class affair

2 September 2020

Tycoon Gautam Adani is taking over India’s second busiest airport. It tramples over a stalled $1 bln deal the seller had with Abu Dhabi’s ADIA and Canada’s PSP. By acquiring debt, Adani is offering a quick out for lenders including Goldman Sachs. But it sets a worrying precedent.

Corona Capital: Zooming through Covid

1 September 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Zoom Video Communications, the ubiquitous video-calling outfit, reports another blowout quarter.

Corona Capital: Nvidia, Air conditioners

20 August 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Nvidia goes gangbusters, HVAC units have their moment in the sun.

Corona Capital: Vegan eggs, Target’s online fiesta

19 August 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: A maker of chicken-free egg products accelerates its IPO plans amid Covid-19, while U.S. supermarket group Target shows that preparedness is everything in e-commerce.

Corona Capital: Good news is bad news

16 July 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: U.S. retail sales are rising and some banks say consumers are surprisingly resilient – but a recovery once glimpsed is even harder to give up.

British Airways jobs cull sends EU bailout Mayday

29 April 2020

The airline owned by IAG is axing a quarter of its staff amid the virus fallout, rather than seek state aid. The move highlights the limits of using government funds in the face of wrenching change. It’s ominous for Paris and Berlin, who may dole out $17 bln of taxpayer cash.

Airlines are pure punt on V-shaped virus recovery

5 March 2020

The coronavirus has hammered demand for air travel, knocking share prices and pushing UK budget carrier Flybe into bankruptcy. Yet past outbreaks like SARS suggest it will be a blip on air travel’s steady upward trajectory. If that’s the case, stronger airlines will bounce back.

Heathrow ruling reflates sagging UK green stature

27 February 2020

Judges have grounded plans for a third runway at Europe’s busiest airport, saying the government ignored obligations to cut CO2 output. As host of a major climate change summit in November, it’s critical Britain has the credibility to push for emissions curbs. This should help.

New-look Ryanair follows familiar flight path

4 February 2019

The budget airline will split into four units overseen by CEO Michael O’Leary. The changes, including a replacement for Chairman David Bonderman, look encouraging. But given that O’Leary will remain in charge and large-scale acquisitions are unlikely, they are mostly cosmetic.

Gatwick’s new French pilot has tougher flight path

27 December 2018

Construction group Vinci is paying $3.7 bln for a majority stake, days after the London airport grounded flights due to stray drones. The price looks toppy given Gatwick’s already-slick operation and Brexit uncertainties. Seller GIP and its co-investors had a better landing.

Drones prove disruptive capacity – in a bad way

20 December 2018

Rogue devices forced London's Gatwick airport to close, grounding flights and stranding thousands of passengers the week before Christmas. Even known risks with new technology - already highlighted by UK aviation authorities - can be hard to manage.

Mexico’s revolutionaries risk spoiling the party

12 November 2018

President-elect López Obrador doesn’t take office until next month, but he and his fellow leftists have already upset markets with moves to nix an airport project and rein in bank fees. Such fumbles could help guide Brazil’s far-right populist Jair Bolsonaro as he nears power too.

Europe airlines show strike pain is for passengers

18 July 2018

EasyJet expects a 45 pct rise in pre-tax profit in 2018 thanks to more passengers and charges on checked bags. The limited damage that French air controllers’ strikes inflicted on the company and its peers reveals such disruptions are more a problem for customers than carriers.

Expanded Heathrow’s value to rest of UK is hazy

6 June 2018

Europe’s busiest airport has tried to placate critics of a third runway by incentivising flights to smaller UK cities. But large airlines will struggle to make these stack up. Unless budget players can do so, the charge that Heathrow only works for London will be hard to refute.

Air India fix would give Modi reform miles

21 July 2017

The carrier is a travelling advertisement for India's inefficiencies. It has made losses for nine years and turnaround efforts have failed. A sale may push a multi-billion dollar writedown on lenders, but would validate Prime Minister Modi's reform credentials.

Richmond sharpens up Britain’s Brexit divide

2 December 2016

The victory of a pro-EU liberal in a UK local election hints at a potential swing back to the centre. Stronger opposition could keep the government honest as it negotiates Brexit. Yet Richmond is wealthy, and voted strongly to stay in Europe. More clarity doesn't mean more unity.

Britain joins China in investment limbo

1 July 2016

Heathrow Airport's expansion is on hold. Now the UK has voted to leave the EU, controversial or financially demanding decisions may be left dangling. There's a precedent in China, where a graft purge led to widespread dawdling. British inertia could be much tougher on growth.

Who’s London’s next mayor? It doesn’t matter

5 May 2016

Neither Sadiq Khan nor Zac Goldsmith, frontrunners for May 5’s vote, have the tools to fix London’s housing shortage. That’s a national issue. The question for businesses isn’t who runs the capital after Boris Johnson, but whether expansion elsewhere in the UK makes more sense.

Who pays for London City Airport’s golden ticket?

2 March 2016

The financier’s hub of choice has been bought for 2 bln stg by a group including Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. The price, about 30 times 2015 EBITDA, implies the airport needs to double its passengers to make decent returns. Or it can hike prices – and annoy its own customers. 

Heathrow offers useful dry run for Brexit debate

11 December 2015

David Cameron has deferred a decision on airport development around London. One business group called the move “gutless”. But expansionists haven’t yet convinced the populists. As with the UK’s looming poll on EU membership, it will take more than economics to win over voters.