DUBLIN: The head of Dubai-based airline Emirates has expressed concerns about the impact on travel across Europe if Britain votes to leave the EU in a June 23 referendum, as airline bosses gathered at a conference prepared for the worst.
Noting forecasts about economic disruption in the UK in the event of a vote to leave the EU, airline president Tim Clark said he was also worried about political and economic volatility in the rest of the 28-nation bloc.
“My concern is what will happen in the rest of the EU,” Clark told reporters at the annual IATA airline industry meeting in Dublin.
“Instability means lowering demand, lowering in demand means less people traveling on aeroplanes. How long that would last, I don’t know,” he said.
The CEO of German carrier Lufthansa also said he expected demand to fall if Britain leaves the bloc.
“We have already brought down our growth plans,” CEO Carsten Spohr said when asked whether the airline was making capacity adjustment plans in the event of a Brexit.
Airlines are among those that have benefited the most from EU agreements on open airspace and free movement of people, and airline executives fear Brexit’s resulting long-winded renegotiation period between governments which would need to take place to ensure that their current access to the skies was retained.
If Britain votes to leave, bilateral agreements allowing unlimited travel between Britain and the rest of the EU would have to be renegotiated. Britain would also have to agree other deals, such as with the United States, which has an open skies arrangement with the EU.
But for Irish carrier Aer Lingus, owned by UK-based International Airlines Group, chief executive Stephen Kavanagh said a Brexit could create opportunities.
“If Heathrow or the UK becomes difficult to transfer through from the European perspective, then that again accelerates the opportunity for us in expanding Irish airports as a gateway,” he said.
Emirates airline president worried about Brexit impact on EU economy
Emirates airline president worried about Brexit impact on EU economy
Saudi Maaden reports 156% profit surge to $2bn on strong commodity prices, record production
RIYADH: Saudi mining and metals company Maaden has reported a 156 percent jump in its net profit attributable to shareholders for 2025, driven by higher commodity prices, record production volumes, and a one-off bargain purchase gain.
The state-backed giant posted a net profit of SR7.35 billion ($1.95 billion) for the full year 2025, an increase from SR2.87 billion in the previous year. The firm’s revenue surged by 19 percent to SR38.58 billion, up from SR32.55 billion in 2024.
This comes as Saudi Arabia steps up efforts to expand its mining sector as a pillar of economic diversification, encouraging international participation and private investment to unlock the Kingdom’s estimated $2.5 trillion in untapped mineral resources under Vision 2030.
In a statement on Tadawul, the company said: “Performance was led by record phosphate production, near record aluminum production, an increase in all three of Maaden’s main output commodity prices.”
The performance was also fueled by a 60 percent increase in gross profit, which reached SR14.79 billion. In its annual results announcement, Maaden attributed the top-line growth to “higher commodity market prices for phosphate, aluminum and gold business units,” as well as increased sales volumes in its phosphate and aluminum segments. This was partially offset by slightly lower sales volume in the gold unit.
Maaden’s CEO, Bob Wilt, hailed 2025 as a transformative year for the company, marked by strategic growth and operational excellence. “This was a great year for Maaden’s strategic growth. We delivered strong financial results and sustained operational excellence across the business,” he said in a statement.
“This was driven by growth in production across all businesses, including record-breaking DAP (di-ammonium phosphatevolumes), disciplined cost control across and a clear commitment to our role as a cornerstone of the Saudi economy,” Wilt added.
Profitability was further bolstered by an increased share of net profit from joint ventures and an associate. This included a one-off bargain purchase gain of SR768 million related to Maaden’s investment in Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. The company also benefited from lower finance costs.
The fourth quarter of 2025 was strong, with Maaden swinging to a net profit of SR1.67 billion, compared to a loss of SR106 million in the same period of the prior year. Quarterly revenue rose 7 percent to SR10.64 billion.
The firm achieved record production of di-ammonium phosphate, reaching 6.72 million tonnes for the year, a 9 percent increase. Aluminum production remained near-record levels, while the company added a net 7.8 million ounces to its reportable gold mineral resources through discovery and resource development.
The phosphate division saw sales jump 17 percent to SR20.77 billion, with the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization margin expanding to 47 percent. The aluminum business reported a 9 percent increase in sales to SR10.99 billion, with EBITDA more than doubling in the fourth quarter.
Looking ahead, Wilt emphasized that the pace of growth will accelerate as the company advances key initiatives, including the Phosphate 3 Phase 1 and Ar Rjum projects, which remain on budget and schedule. Maaden has also secured a gas supply for its future Phosphate 4 project.
“This pace of growth will only accelerate. Not only as we advance projects and increase the scale of our exploration program, but as we continue to grow production and implement technology that will further modernize, streamline and unlock value,” Wilt added.
Earnings per share for the year rose sharply to SR1.91, up from SR0.78 in 2024. Total shareholders’ equity increased by 18.7 percent to SR61.59 billion.
