- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
Airline shares take off on bullish United outlook
Shares in European airlines took off Thursday after United Airlines forecast surging travel demand as the pandemic impact fades on the aviation sector.
British Airways parent IAG and low-cost rival EasyJet saw their share prices soar by about six percent nearing midday in London.
France's Air France-KLM stock jumped around four percent in early afternoon deals in Paris and Germany's Lufthansa gained a similar proportion in Frankfurt.
Overnight, US carrier United Airlines forecast "the strongest second-quarter revenue guidance in company history" despite logging another Covid-induced loss for the first quarter.
The news also sent United shares leaping in after-hours trade.
"The European aviation sector is benefitting from the general improving sentiment related to the pandemic recovery which has clearly helped restore faith in some of the most hit segments of the economy," XTB analyst Walid Koudmani told AFP.
"After what has been a very difficult few years for the aviation industry, as a result of lockdowns and alarming inflation, United Airlines' outlook certainly inspired some confidence."
The aviation sector was ravaged by the Covid crisis that erupted in early 2020, decimating demand and grounding planes worldwide.
United's outlook helped spark bumper gains on the Frankfurt and Paris stock exchanges on Thursday.
- Oil rebounds -
The London market, however, flatlined, hit by poor earnings news from mining giants Anglo American and Antofagasta.
Anglo shares tanked nine percent and Antofagasta shed almost three percent after both posted sliding first-quarter output, partly on Covid fallout.
Elsewhere Thursday, world oil prices rebounded after diving the previous session on weaker demand concerns.
Stock markets in Hong Kong and Shanghai fell sharply on heightened anxiety over China's renewed Covid lockdowns and curbs on tech companies.
Tokyo, however, rallied on optimism over a falling yen, which boosts exporters.
Wall Street had finished mixed Wednesday, with focus on Netflix whose shares plunged after the streaming giant reported a drop in subscribers.
- Key figures around 1045 GMT -
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.4 percent at 14,564.58 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.6 percent at 6,733.29
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 7,625.56
EURO STOXX 50: UP 1.3 percent at 3,945.44
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.2 percent at 27,553.06 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.3 percent at 20,682.22 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 2.3 percent at 3,079.81 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 35,160.79 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0912 from $1.0853 late on Wednesday
Dollar/yen: UP at 128.09 yen from 127.86 yen
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3063 from $1.3068
Euro/pound: UP at 83.53 pence from 83.05 pence
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.3 percent at $108.13 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.1 percent at $103.28 per barrel
burs-rfj/bcp/lth
Nogueira--PC