PT Bank Central Asia said Thursday its nine-month net profit rose

PT Bank Central Asia said Thursday its nine-month net profit rose to Rp2 trillion (some US$200 million) from Rp851.87 billion last year. BCA President Director DE Setiyoso said net interest income during the period was up sharply to Rp4 trillion, compared with Rp1.34 trillion in the first nine months of 2000. Setiyoso told reporters the bank's capital adequacy ratio (CAR) was 35 percent as of Sept. 30, down from 45.90 percent a year earlier. --Dow Jones

Vietnam Airlines said on Thursday it was considering the acquisition of four Airbus A340 aircraft. An airline official told Reuters, Airbus officials had offered three choices for the long-haul airliner in talks in Hanoi this week -- outright purchase, lease, or joint lease and purchase. "Airbus has offered us four A340s and we are considering this," the official said. --Reuters

Qantas, Australia's biggest airline, announced Thursday it will cut between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs - about six percent of its staff - blaming the impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks for the decision. Unions accused the airline of announcing the cuts in an attempt to force workers to accept a proposed freeze in their wages. --AP