HONG KONG, March 12 ― HONG KONG, March 12 ― Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific said today that net profit tripled last year, thanks to fuel cost savings and an increase in passengers.

The airline said profit jumped to HK$2.62 billion (RM1.1 billion) from HK$862 million in 2012 as revenue climbed 1.1 per cent to HK$100.5 billion.

However the figure is still well down from the HK$5.5 billion seen in 2011 before the eurozone crisis and high fuel costs hammered the firm's bottom line.

“The operating environment remained challenging throughout 2013... It was therefore encouraging to see an improvement in our overall performance,” company chairman Christopher Pratt said in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Cathay said it carried nearly 30 million passengers in 2013, an increase of 3.3 per cent from the previous year, helped by strong demand for leisure travelling from its base in Hong Kong, a jump in outbound travel from mainland China and promotional ticket programmes.

However, Pratt said the cargo business was hit by weak demand, with revenue falling 3.6 per cent to HK$23.7 billion. ― AFP