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Air France-KLM to take majority stake in Scandinavian carrier SAS
Air France-KLM to take majority stake in Scandinavian carrier SAS

Irish Examiner

time04-07-2025

  • Business
  • Irish Examiner

Air France-KLM to take majority stake in Scandinavian carrier SAS

Air France-KLM plans to increase its stake in Scandinavian airline SAS to 60.5%, the latest step towards consolidating Europe's fragmented airline sector as carriers seek to strengthen their position against rivals. The Franco-Dutch airline group said on Friday it intended to increase its stake from 19.9% currently by acquiring the stakes held by top shareholders Castlelake and Lind Invest. The purchase, subject to regulatory clearances, is expected to close in the second half of 2026, Air France-KLM said. The value of the investment would be determined at closing, based on SAS's latest financial performance, including core earnings (EBITDA) and net debt, the company said. It declined to give details on those metrics. SAS flies to Dublin from Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. Air France flies from Cork and Dublin to Paris. KLM flies to Amsterdam from Cork and also flies transatlantic to Dublin, with 142 weekly flights from the capital. Air France-KLM expects to generate "three-digit million" euro in synergies from raising its SAS stake, Air France-KLM finance chief Steven Zaat told analysts on a call. Mr Zaat said the deal would be funded from cash or a "plain vanilla bond" and would not impact the drive to reduce the group's hybrid debt. "We have ample room for it," he said. Air France-KLM shares were flat in early trading. JPMorgan analysts said there were reasons to be positive about the deal. "SAS offers deeper access to a GDP-rich region in Scandinavia, there will now be an opportunity to unlock cost synergies as SAS becomes a subsidiary of the group," they said in a note, adding that "industry consolidation should also be viewed positively for the whole sector, even if not game-changing in terms of size." SAS welcomed Air France-KLM's announcement. "European consolidation had to happen further, and we're very happy to be part of that," SAS CEO Anko van der Werff told Danish broadcaster TV2. "In the current setup where Air France-KLM is a 19.9% shareholder, they're still a competitor," he said. "With the new stake, going above 50%, we can really tap into all of those synergies and offer those benefits to customers." SAS said it would continue to invest in its fleet and network. In 2023, Air France-KLM said it would invest about $144.5m (€122.7m) for its initial SAS stake, boosting its presence in Sweden, Denmark and Norway with the option to become a controlling shareholder after a minimum of two years, subject to conditions. SAS exited from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August last year. The two carriers have already had a commercial cooperation since summer 2024. Control of SAS would allow Air France-KLM to expand in the Scandinavian market and create additional value for shareholders, Air France-KLM said in a statement. "Following their successful restructuring, SAS has delivered impressive performance, and we are confident that the airline's potential will continue to grow through deeper integration within the Air France-KLM Group," said Air France-KLM chief executive Ben Smith. The deal comes as executives seek more consolidation in Europe's fragmented airline industry, which they say is needed to compete with US and Middle Eastern rivals. Earlier this year, Germany's Lufthansa bought a 41% stake in Italy's ITA Airways and a stake in Air Baltic. The Portuguese government is looking to privatise its national carrier TAP. Lufthansa and Air France are also in talks about buying a stake in Spain's Air Europa. SAS has 138 aircraft in service and carried more than 25 million passengers last year, generating revenues of €4.1bn. Air France-KLM group would have a majority of seats on the board of directors, while the Danish state will keep its 26.4% stake in SAS and its seats on the board. Reuters

Remembering women lost in time
Remembering women lost in time

Indian Express

time23-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Indian Express

Remembering women lost in time

Some heirlooms glitter in the light, while others sit in old boxes and become heavier with time – not with rust, but memories. There is hidden silence in the objects that we inherit. In the exhibition 'Zaat', London-based artist and gemologist Sonakshi Chaturvedi explores these objects to unveil the stories that they have been carrying for decades. She particularly focuses on the unspoken lives of women who are usually remembered only through the relationships that they fulfill as a bride, mother and grandmother. On view at The Gallery at British Council, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, until July 31, the exhibition is part of Study UK: Creative Connections II and the British Council's Best of British cultural initiative that celebrates international alumni shaping global creative discourse. Chaturvedi's titular sculptural installation Zaat unravels matrilineal memory through the language of heirloom, metal, and meaning. Born in Agra, she completed her MA in Jewellery and Metal from the prestigious Royal College of Art in 2024. Blending traditional craft with contemporary artistic practices, the 26-year-old represents a new generation of artists who are bending the rules. Chaturvedi notes, 'Zaat began as a way to fortify my own nostalgia, but evolved into an act of reclamation — tracing heirloom objects that held the silent resistance of women remembered only as mothers, brides, grandmothers.' She wants the future female descendants to remember their ancestors not just by the roles that they played but as individuals with agency, voice and dreams. The word 'zaat' refers to identity or core sense of being. Drawing from her grandmother's wedding trousseau, Chaturvedi has crafted sculptures that use brass, white metal, cold enamel, resin-based enamel and gemstones to archive her matrilineal memory. 'At first glance, these forms appear worn, metallic and subdued – echoing the weight of tradition and domestic expectation. But within, they burst into psychedelic interiors – revealing a hidden world of colour, desire and youth,' says Chaturvedi. She notes that the dual surfaces are not an aesthetic coincidence; they mirror the lives many women have lived – outwardly dutiful, inwardly wild with colour and desire. Every artefact in the exhibition holds fond memories for the artist. Shareefa Jar, for instance, is a brass replica of her grandmother's plastic jar in which she saved spare change. 'She would let me borrow the money to buy us both kulfis, candies, and custard apples during summer afternoons, when everyone else was asleep after lunch,' shares Chaturvedi. Recalling another fond memory, which is the inspiration behind The Pyaaz Tiffin – brass replica of a traditional Indian tiffin carrier – she shares, 'During vacations, when I stayed with my grandparents, despite her religious and cultural beliefs, she used to chop onions for me to enjoy my meals. It showed her efforts to bridge the gap and keep us connected.' This is represented by the intertwined knot form of brooches in gold-plated white metal and cold enamel. Similarly, other artefacts, including The Anaar Vase, Shahtoot Dispenser and Pyaaz Cooker are inspired by artefacts that were once in her grandmother's possession. Ultimately, 'Zaat' is a conversation – one that moves across generations, surfaces and silences.

Zaat: Exploring womanhood through metal and memory
Zaat: Exploring womanhood through metal and memory

Time of India

time14-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Time of India

Zaat: Exploring womanhood through metal and memory

The exhibition confronts the inherited roles of bride, mother, and grandmother, foregrounding untold longings encoded within craft traditions The Gallery at British Council, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, presents Zaat by Royal College of Art Graduate Sonakshi, a powerful sculptural installation that unravels matrilineal memory through the language of heirloom, metal, and meaning. The exhibition runs from 11 June through 31 July 2025 as part of Study UK: Creative Connections II. Born in Agra and now based in London, Sonakshi Chaturvedi brings together her expertise in painting, enamelling, and gemology to question how women's histories are remembered—or systematically erased. The exhibition confronts the inherited roles of bride, mother, and grandmother, foregrounding untold longings encoded within craft traditions of the Indian subcontinent. A Fresh Voice in Contemporary Art Fresh from completing her MA in Jewellery & Metal at the prestigious Royal College of Art (2024), Sonakshi represents a new generation of artists bridging traditional craft with contemporary artistic practice. Her unique background as both a Graduate Gemologist and researcher with Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (Ministry of Culture) positions her with the requisite capabilities to question the cultural significance of adornment and inheritance in South Asian societies. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo 'Zaat began as a way to fortify my own nostalgia, but it evolved into an act of reclamation—tracing heirloom objects that held the silent resistance of women remembered only as mothers, brides, grandmothers. Through sculpture, I archive their matrilineal inheritance as material memory—for future female ancestors to know them not just by the roles they played, but as individuals with dreams, agency, and voice' explains Chaturvedi. Exploring Material Memory The title "Zaat" refers to identity or the core sense of being. Visitors to Zaat will encounter a series of sculptural forms crafted in brass, white metal, cold enamel, resin-based enamel, and gemstones—each inspired by objects from the artist's grandmother's wedding trousseau. At first glance, these forms appear worn, metallic, and subdued—echoing the weight of tradition and domestic expectation. But within, they burst into candy-like, psychedelic interiors—revealing a hidden world of colour, desire, and youth. These contrasting surfaces act as metaphors for how generations of women, often remembered only as wives, mothers, or grandmothers, concealed vivid inner lives beneath uniform roles. Zaat transforms these heirloom-inspired forms into vessels of material memory—preserving not just what was passed down, but what was never said. The artwork forms part of the British Council's Best of British series, celebrating UK alumni who are shaping global cultural discourse. The Study UK: Creative Connections II programme highlights the international impact of UK education in fostering artistic innovation and cross-cultural dialogue. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .

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