Richard Branson’s Virgin Group said it plans to sell as much as 12% of Virgin Galactic Holdings—the space-tourism venture that made its IPO in New York—to shore up its other travel and tourism businesses. In a regulatory filing Monday, Virgin said it would sell as many as 25m shares in the company, to raise funds to support its portfolio of global leisure, holiday and travel businesses. Those businesses, including a cruise line and two airlines, have been hit hard by a drop in demand amid the coronavirus pandemic. Last month, Virgin Australia, 10%-owned by Virgin, filed for bankruptcy. Another, UK-based Virgin Atlantic, is asking for financial assistance from the UK government. Virgin Galactic, which plans to take passengers to the edge of space to experience several minutes of weightlessness, has been a relative bright spot. Despite a big drop with the rest of the stock market, shares in the company are up 68% this year to date.<br/>
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The biggest shareholder of Indian budget carrier IndiGo is considering a bid for Virgin Australia Holdings, joining a score of suitors seeking to capitalize on Asia’s first airline casualty from the coronavirus pandemic. Rahul Bhatia, who owns the Indigo holding through InterGlobe Enterprises, is evaluating data of the Australian airline and is finalizing a strategy, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. No decision has been made, the person said. IndiGo denied an earlier report it plans to bid for Virgin Australia. The proposal is being prepared by InterGlobe Enterprises, and not by IndiGo, the person said. Virgin Australia has attracted at least 20 potential buyers as its administrator, Deloitte, races to sell the airline within two months of its collapse. Deloitte is seeking indicative bids by Friday and binding offers in June, targeting a deal by the end of that month.<br/>
Aer Lingus will hold talks with trade unions Tuesday on the airline’s plans to cut what some speculate could be around 900 jobs. The airline postponed a conference call with representatives of unions Fórsa, Siptu, Connect and Unite last week to give further details on plans to reduce its 4,500-strong workforce as its business shrinks in the face of Covid-19. Aer Lingus has re-scheduled the meeting for Tuesday. The company has told unions that it expects its business next year to be 20% smaller than in 2019, and wants to cut job numbers in line with this. That led to speculation that the Irish carrier would seek 900 redundancies. However, the company has not said how many jobs it intends cutting. The unions have told the company that any redundancies must be voluntary.<br/>
Airlines are struggling globally, but the loss of Afghanistan's aviation sector would have extra collateral damage, destroying one of the few bright spots for female employment at a time when the conservative society is also facing the possibility of a return of the Taliban to a role in government. Things have improved for women in Afghanistan since the Taliban, who banned female education and women from leaving home without a male relative, were in driven from power in 2001, particularly in urban areas. A new generation of women has emerged with university degrees and jobs in a range of fields including business and politics. Airlines have welcomed women in various roles. About 30% of the 580 employees at national carrier Ariana are female while Kam Air employs 106 women, 46 of them flight attendants, as well as pilots and managers. "Kam Air has always tried to have more female employees," said Suliman Omar, its commercial officer. "Our criterion is the education and talent of our employees, not gender." But with most flights grounded because of the coronavirus, Kam Air has asked 80% of its staff to stay home without pay as it suffers the loss of $6.5m in revenue every week. "We're facing the very serious threat of collapse," Omar said.<br/>
Regional Express Airlines says it plans to start flying jet aircraft between mainland capital cities in a direct challenge to Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia. The regional carrier said Tuesday it intends to raise about $200m to lease around 10 narrow-body jets, adding to its fleet of mostly Saab 340 turboprop aircraft, and will hire pilots, cabin crew and ground staff to operate them. “Presently Rex flies to the regional centres to all the [mainland] capital cities in Australia," Rex deputy chairman John Sharp said Tuesday. "The proposition is to fly between them and provide a domestic air service in place of the ones once provided by Virgin." The stock exchange put the company into a trading pause on Tuesday morning before the market opened.<br/>