AirAsia X flies back into profit as China provides lift



Malaysia's long-haul budget airline AirAsia X swung to quarterly profit boosted by strong traffic from China, and said it would re-evaluate its operations in Indonesia due to regulatory issues.

First-quarter profit totalled 179.5 million ringgit (Dh160m), compared with a loss of 125.9m ringgit in the year-ago quarter. Revenue rose 25 per cent to 970.7m ringgit, with revenue from China alone surging 49 per cent.

“In the first quarter, the China market contributed the highest growth,” the AirAsia X Group chief executive Kamarudin Meranun said on Tuesday.

We see this growth trend continuing through 2016 with the introduction of visa-free travel for Chinese visitors to Malaysia, and we expect the strong inbound traffic from China to feed into other core markets, he added.

AirAsia X also said that based on current forward bookings, second quarter passenger numbers looked encouraging. It would focus on strategic growth initiatives in Malaysia and Thailand while re-evaluating its operation in Indonesia.

Net loss at the company’s Indonesia operations halved to 4.6m ringgit in the first quarter, but the company said the operational environment remained challenging due to restrictions imposed by regulators.

This month, Indonesia said it plans to suspend the in-house ground handling operations of two budget carriers at two of the country’s biggest airports while it investigates possible handling errors.

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Timeline

1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line

1962
250 GTO is unveiled

1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company

1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens

1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made

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F40 launched

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Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent

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2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi

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2015
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2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary

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Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

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Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history

4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon

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50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater

1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.  

1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.

1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.

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How to come clean about financial infidelity
  • Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
  • Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help. 
  • Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
  • Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
  • Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported. 

Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching