Aviation/All

March 12, 2010

Aviation/All

New highs for Asia's budget carriers

Tiger Airways' recent warm welcome to the Singapore stock exchange is just one measure of the success Asia's low-cost carriers are having as more entrenched premium-brand rivals, from JAL to Thai Airways, struggle - and sometimes fail - to remain attractive businesses.

- Megawati Wijaya (Feb 16, '10)

Hainan fears real-estate bubbles - again

Money has flooded into the Chinese province of Hainan in the few weeks since the central government said it should become an international tourist resort. The sub-tropical island's attractions could certainly lure visitors, but residents with a sense of history already fear a property crash might come first.

- Stephen Wong (Feb 08, '10)

Property bounces back in the Philippines

Strong demand for business outsourcing work is helping to buoy the Philippines property market, which is recovering after a period of falling rental rates and rising vacancies. With overseas workers hanging onto their jobs and sending more cash home, the outlook for domestic housing is also looking good.

- Jennee Grace U Rubrico (Jan 25, '10)

JAL dies, tourism drive stirs to life

Japanese authorities, after watching national carrier JAL slide into bankruptcy, plan to build new air links with China, Russia and South Korea. Better use of airports makes sense, and the military are doing their bit to help, but the decline in Japan's population raises the question - who will fill the flights?

- Christopher Johnson (Jan 20, '10)

Party time for tea producers

Shares in McLeod Russel and other Indian tea producers are surging on the back of strong profits as demand outpaces supply. That is bad news for global tea drinkers, who have had what the industry considers will be a brief respite from rising prices thanks to year-end rains.

- Raja Murthy (Jan 19, '10)

Syrian airline feels reach of sanctions

Syrianair, the national carrier of Syria, should be benefiting from a surge in passenger numbers through its base, Damascus. Instead, United States sanctions are preventing it adding new European-made Airbus planes to its aging fleet. Bureaucracy and administrative corruption could be just as much to blame.

- administrator (Jan 14, '10)

JAL runs out of runway

Japan Airlines, Asia's biggest carrier, appears to have run out of runway and is crashing into bankruptcy, with the government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama refusing to be as open-handed as its Liberal Democratic Party predecessor.

- Christopher Johnson (Jan 12, '10)

More taint on China's safety record

News of the arrest of three Shanghai dairy executives allegedly trying to foist contaminated milk on an unsuspecting public appeared at first to show that China's new food-regulatory regime was kicking in with impressive results. But it turns out that officialdom has still not learned that delays and cover-ups only serve to exacerbate scandals, not bury them - a global worry, not just a national one.

- Kent Ewing (Jan 11, '10)

Songdo City defies crisis odds

Local government backing and the promise of a high-quality life have helped a built-from-scratch city on the Yellow Sea west of Seoul to survive the financial crisis and numerous domestic doubts. But Songdo City's first post-recession test is coming as more apartments are put up for sale.

- David McNeill (Nov 11, '09)

New heights for Singapore property

Singapore's property market, buffeted as the city-state felt the full brunt of the global financial crisis, is rebounding so strongly that home sales are setting records and potential buyers are leaving blank checks with agents to secure new apartments in new projects.

- Megawati Wijaya (Nov 03, '09)

SUN WUKONG

China's insurers denied run of property

The Chinese government's decision to allow insurance companies to invest some of their near US$500 billion in holdings directly in real estate has property developers keenly anticipating a new inflow of cash. Yet the red tape with which Beijing is tying up the reform should be sufficient to ensure no quick bucks - or sharp losses - for anyone.

- Wu Zhong (Oct 26, '09)

Property too hot to handle in Hong Kong

A world-record price for an apartment in Hong Kong highlights rising demand from wealthy mainland Chinese, while a 26% surge in prices since January raises fears of a bubble. This boom has prompted calls for restrictions on non-Hong Kong residents buying residential housing, and for the government to release its vice-like grip on land.

- Olivia Chung (Oct 22, '09)

Speaking Freely

Swiss companies ride China stimulus

China's stimulus-driven infrastructure development sector offers golden opportunities to foreign companies that have special know-how and technological expertise. Swiss companies, for instance, are venturing into Chinese railways, building and construction projects that have mushroomed due to the state stimulus package.

- Anonymous (Oct 16, '09)

Speaking Freely

Buy Chinese at your peril

For all its pride as an industrial giant and an economic powerhouse, China still lacks the diligence and ethics that are the hallmarks of a high quality labor force and competent service delivery. A Chinese expat in the US recalls his horror stories about consumer dissatisfaction as a result of callous Chinese business practices.

- Gus Auyeung (Oct 05, '09)

Pakistan acts to guard Chinese interests

A change in status for Pakistan's Northern Areas, now known as Gilgit Baltistan, reflects a desire to improve security for China's growing financial stakes in the strategic region.

- Syed Fazl-e-Haider (Sep 03, '09)

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New highs for Asia's budget carriers

Hainan fears real-estate bubbles - again

Property bounces back in the Philippines

JAL dies, tourism drive stirs to life

Party time for tea producers

Syrian airline feels reach of sanctions

JAL runs out of runway

More taint on China's safety record

Songdo City defies crisis odds

New heights for Singapore property

SUN WUKONG

China's insurers denied run of property

Property too hot to handle in Hong Kong

Speaking Freely

Swiss companies ride China stimulus

Speaking Freely

Buy Chinese at your peril

Pakistan acts to guard Chinese interests

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