Lufthansa to create 3,500 new jobsGerman airline Lufthansa AG said it was planning to create more than 3,500 new jobs this year. Of the new positions, 2,200 would be long term and around 1,300 would be part-time jobs over a period of two months to three years, said Frederick Reid, spokesman for the board of the Lufthansa Passage Airline division, at the 32nd annual International Tourism Exchange (ITB) in Berlin. The capacity of the Lufthansa fleet had improved over the last year and the airline had carried 3.3 million passengers, an improvement of five per cent over the previous year, Reid said. Lufthansa, All Nippon Airways in alliance: Lufthansa German Airlines said on Monday that it would form a strategic alliance with Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA).
"According to the partners, a primary goal of the cooperation is to further develop routes between Germany and Japan as one of the most important air traffic links between continental Europe and East Asia," said a statement released inSingapore on behalf of Lufthansa. The statement said the agreement would provide Lufthansa and ANA passengers with a number of additional services and benefits.
UPS buys aircraft, finalises Indonesia JV
United Parcel Service (UPS) said on Monday it has bought two used Boeing Co 747-200s and finalised its joint venture with Indonesia's PT Cardig Citra. UPS has bought one Boeing 747-200 freighter aircraft from Westinghouse and one 747-200 from Air India that is being converted into a freighter, UPS vice president for Asia Pacific Charles Adams said. "That airplane is in Israel right now being converted into a freighter," Adams told Reuters. He said UPS was fairly optimistic the aircraft bought from Air India would be delivered in 90 to 120 days.
Seven says may revalue TV licences
Television station owner Seven Network Ltd said on Monday that it would consider over the next six months whether to revalue upwards the value of its television licences. "It's something we'll look at inthe next six months to see whether it has any relevance to us," Seven chairman Kerry Stokes told a news conference. Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd, the operator of the top-ranking Nine Network, last week increased the value of its television licences up to A$1.32 billion from A$554 million. Stokes said the current value of Seven's licences in its books was about A$170 million, which "looks a bit conservative".
Mitsubishi Motors to assemble SUV in Vietnam
Mitsubishi Motors Corp said on Monday it planned to start assembling 2000 cc sport utility vehicles in Vietnam in April. Mitsubishi's Vietnam joint venture Vina Star Motors Corp was expected to produce about 60 of the vehicles in 1998 and planned to increase annual production to 300 units in 1999, a company spokesman said. Vina Star Motors would import some parts for the vehicle from Taiwan's China Motor Corp, in which Mitsubishi Motors has a 16-per cent stake, the spokesman said. The new sport utility vehicle would be similar to the MitsubishiFreeca, the first fruit of the Japanese company's joint development programme with China Motor.
GM Shanghai to roll out Buicks by year-end
General Motors Corp's Shanghai joint venture is expected to turn out its first locally built Buick sedans by the end of the year, the China Securities newspaper said on Monday. The $1.57-billion venture with Shanghai Automotive IndustryCorp (SAIC) will complete its assembly plant in the city's Pudong district by October, the newspaper said. Large scale production will start in April next year with an eventual annual output of 100,000 cars, the newspaper said. General Motors and SAIC each hold a 50 per cent stake in thejoint venture, which is listed as a key project for Shanghai and broke ground in the city's premier development zone of Pudong last June.
Granada, Littlewoods in home shoping deal
Britain's Granada Media Group announced on Monday it had signed a joint venture with home shopping company The Littlewoods Organisation Plc to launch homeshopping television in the UK. The new company is expected launch broadcasting from Autumn 1998, in all three platforms, digital terrestrial, digital satellite and digital cable. The company would also enter into interactive services thereafter. The deal is expected to give Littlewoods access to millions of viewers who are expected to subscribe to digital television.
Samsung wins $200m in ship orders
Samsung Heavy Industries Co, a shipbuilding unit of the Samsung Group said on Monday it had won $200 million worth of overseas orders to build five ships. Samsung Heavy said in a statement that the company won $150million worth of orders from Italy-based Premuda Shipping Co to build four 73,000 dead-weight tonnes (dwt) crude-oil tankers. It would also build a 180,000 dwt bulk carrier for Liberia Shipping Co. The statement said the tankers and carrier would be delivered in the year 2000. The latest contracts will earn Samsung Heavy a total $470million worth of new building orders for the year, a companyofficial said.
