Air Transport

Good Week

© Airbus

Emirates Airline In the week of the air show there, Dubai's flag carrier continues to defy the gloom that has descended on the city's previously rampant property and financial services sectors this year with a 165% profits increase - to 752 million dirhams ($205 million) - in the half year through September. Revenue was down 13.5% at 19.8 billion dirhams on falling passenger and cargo yields, but cost-cutting and lower fuel costs saved the day.

 

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Bad Week

British Airways How bad can it get? As if a £208 million ($346 million) loss after taxes for the first half to end September on revenue down 14% to £4.1 billion was not enough, the world's favourite airline is to axe 3,000 jobs by April and 4,900 by March 2012. And, it is pushing back its first Airbus A380 deliveries to 2013, which means no BA-liveried superjumbos for the London Olympics. And cabin crew are still fighting hard against new working conditions. Bad.