The European Union has formally opened its airspace to American-grade jet fuel, a regulatory concession that underscores how deeply the Iran conflict has destabilised the continent's aviation supply chain ahead of the peak summer season. In guidance issued by the European Commission and the EU Aviation Safety Agency, regulators confirmed there are no legal obstacles to using imported Jet A fuel, provided the switch is carefully managed across the supply chain. The move addres

European shipping operators are confronting their toughest cost environment in a generation, as the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz compounds the final phase-in of the EU Emissions Trading System. Bunker fuel prices in Singapore, the industry's largest refuelling hub, have climbed above $800 per tonne, up from roughly $500 before Iran shut the strait on 4 March, according to commodity site OilPrice. The European Federation for Transport and Environment estimated the

Mediterranean Shipping Company has launched a new Europe to Red Sea container service designed to keep European cargo flowing to Gulf markets without transit through the Strait of Hormuz, in the clearest sign yet that liner operators are rewiring their networks around the Iranian chokepoint. The first vessel on the Europe, Red Sea and Middle East Express sailed from Antwerp on 10 May under voyage OC619 A, the Geneva-based carrier confirmed. The eastbound rotation calls at Gda

European auto manufacturers are pushing for a swift conclusion to EU-US trade trilogues opening in Brussels on Wednesday, as Donald Trump's threat to lift tariffs on EU-made vehicles to 25 per cent raises the stakes for a sector already facing margin pressure from Chinese competitors. The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), whose members include Volkswagen, Stellantis, Renault and BMW, urged co-legislators on Monday to find common ground and finalise the le

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company has launched a dedicated Europe-Red Sea-Middle East express service designed to keep cargo moving between European exporters and Gulf customers as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut to commercial traffic. The world's largest container carrier, headquartered in Geneva, will sail its first vessel from Antwerp on 10 May, with a single-direction rotation calling at Gdansk, Klaipeda, Bremerhaven, Antwerp, Valencia, Barcelona and Gioia

Ryanair will close its base at Berlin Brandenburg Airport on 24 October, the fourth such withdrawal by Europe's largest low-cost carrier in Germany since 2019, as escalating taxes and airport charges drive capacity towards lower-cost EU member states. The Irish airline confirmed last week that all seven Boeing 737s currently stationed in the German capital will be redeployed to bases in Sweden, Italy, Albania and Slovakia, countries that have recently abolished or reduced avi

US court filings allege that Casper Benteler, heir to a German manufacturing dynasty, made false claims to fraudulently borrow $30 million from a US company to pay off relatives as part of a deal to assume control of the family business. Casper Benteler then assumed control of the multibillion-euro Benteler Group in March, just months after he was accused by former partner Beep of diverting $30 million from their business collaboration to pay off relatives. Beep's September

Conflict in the Middle East is redrawing the map of long-haul aviation — and European carriers are moving fast to capitalise The suspension of scheduled services through Gulf hubs has triggered one of the most significant reconfigurations of long-haul aviation in years, forcing European carriers to expand direct Asia-Europe capacity at speed and reshaping a competitive landscape that had long been defined by Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi. With operations at Emirates, Qatar Airway

The de facto closure of the world's most critical oil chokepoint is reviving memories of 2022 for European policymakers and energy traders alike Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed to near-zero, with Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM all suspending operations through the waterway following US and Israeli strikes on Iran that began on 28 February. The effective closure — enforced not by physical blockade but by the withdrawal of war-risk insurance, whi

Brussels unveiled a €1.8 billion battery strategy this month as European automakers grapple with declining internal combustion engine sales and intensifying competition from Chinese manufacturers, even as the new Trump administration signals a dramatic reversal of America's electric vehicle transition. The European Commission's automotive omnibus package introduces a new "small affordable cars" category and proposes revised car labelling rules, part of a broader industrial pl