New Zealand boosts defence spend to US$6.6 billion and vows increased closeness with Australia
This budget will be spent over the next four years and nearly doubles the country’s defence spending as part of GDP to 2%.
ELFAA members? passenger numbers grow 8.7% in 2009
The European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) has announces that in 2009 its members carried 162.5 million passengers – an 8.7% increase on the previous year.
“These figures show clearly how ELFAA members are bucking the trend in the aviation sector when it comes to passenger numbers,” observed John Hanlon, secretary-general of ELFAA. “It also demonstrates beyond any doubt that the economic crisis need not be an excuse for airlines to go cap in hand to governments pleading for unjust cash injections.”
ELFAA said its members also led the way in job creation, taking on an additional 3,000 permanent employees in Europe last year, an increase of 12.5% on 2008. The Association added that this “further underscores the fact that the low-fare airline sector is well on the way to becoming the principal player in European aviation”.
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