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