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The anti-graft body has advised THAI to pursue civil lawsuits for damage caused by those involved in the Rolls-Royce bribery scandal. National Anti-Corruption Commission secretary-general Sansern Poljeak said Friday said the 20-year statute of limitations for bribery cases that took place during the first 2 periods involving the scandal has now expired. However, the statute of limitations for cases in the third period between 2004-2005 still stands, and THAI can still pursue civil action against those involved during this period, Sansern said. He added that the carrier can also petition the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) to examine the money trails of those involved and freeze their assets. THAI initiated an investigation into the bribery allegations after they were made public and the findings are due to be announced Feb 20. <br/>

ANA Holdings reported a net profit of JPY86.6b (US$741.5m) for the first 9 months of its 2016 fiscal year, up 18% from JPY73.3b in net profit for the comparable period in 2015. ANA’s fiscal year ends March 31, 2017. Revenue for the 9-month period was down 2.7% year-over-year to JPY1.3t, but was mitigated by a 4.1% decline in operating expenses (JPY1.2t). ANA’s operating income was JPY130.2b, up 11.5% from JPY116.8b in 2015. Domestic revenue was down 1.7% to JPY520.1b, as several natural disaster and weather events initially suppressed demand. ANA responded by selling flexible discount fares, a tactic that ultimately boosted domestic passenger traffic by 0.8% for the period. Domestic capacity was down 0.5% for the period and the domestic passenger load factor was 65.8%, up 0.9 point YOY. <br/>

ANA Holdings said it’s concerned the policies of US president Donald Trump may slow global growth, which in turn affects airline passenger traffic. “We have to consider the effect on logistics and movements if trade frictions arise as in the past,” Yuji Hirako, an executive VP said Friday. “The possibility of a slowdown in global growth is emerging. We need to spend time observing Trump’s govt and policies.” The airline and its key hub at Haneda in Tokyo are significantly exposed to the swings in the global economy. ANA Friday reiterated a forecast for an almost 3% drop in sales this fiscal year due to a reduction in fuel surcharges. The company is seeking JPY25b in non-fuel cost reductions this fiscal year to help offset a dip in sales due to the removal of the surcharge in April, according to the carrier. <br/>

Hundreds of passengers have finally been able to depart Auckland Airport for Singapore - 8 hours after a problem with the nose wheel of a plane forced it to abort take-off. Witnesses saw smoke and smelt "burning rubber" coming from the SIA A380, which was bound for Singapore from Auckland before the flight was aborted. The SQ286 flight was due to take off at 1:30pm, but was delayed while an investigation was carried out. It finally took off at 9:26pm after several changes to the departure time, Auckland Airport said. A SIA spokesman said it was decided to keep passengers on board so the plane could leave as soon as repairs and inspections were completed. But there was an "unforeseen delay" during the inspections which meant it took longer than anticipated to depart. <br/>

Etihad Airways and Lufthansa will hold a joint news conference on their cooperation plans Wednesday, the airlines said Sunday. Etihad and Lufthansa last month signed a code share pact and said they wanted to explore cooperation in other areas. This came after Lufthansa signed an agreement with Air Berlin to lease from it 38 crewed planes. Lufthansa said Sunday the news conference would be on future cooperation. Etihad owns minority stakes Air Berlin and Alitalia, both of them loss-making. Despite media speculation over possible moves by Lufthansa to invest in the Italian carrier and taking on more with Air Berlin, Lufthansa executives have repeatedly said in recent weeks that the airline was too busy with the integration of the Air Berlin planes and a takeover of Brussels Airlines. <br/>

United Continental is targeting a major expansion at Los Angeles International in an effort to reverse a slide that’s left the airline languishing behind its biggest rivals at the busiest West Coast hub, said people familiar with the plans. President Scott Kirby told United pilots this month that the company needs more space and is studying plans to claim most or all of a future terminal, said the people. He didn’t discuss a timetable, the people said. United, once the leader in Los Angeles, has dropped to No. 3 behind American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. United CE Oscar Munoz is trying to win back passengers at key airports as part of a broader renewal effort, which includes plans to cut costs and catch up with Delta’s industry-leading profits. <br/>