TOKYO, April 26 — Japanese airlines ANA and JAL said today that soaring demand for international travel had boosted their bottom line as the country enjoys a tourism boom ahead of the 2020 Olympics.
ANA booked a record operating profit of ¥165 billion yen (RM6.2 billion), up 0.3 per cent on the previous year as sales grew more than four percent to ¥2.05 trillion.
“The airline industry in Japan has generally seen strong demand along with a large increase in foreign visitors to Japan,” the firm said.
However, net profits fell 23 per cent on a year-on-year basis because last year’s figures included a one-off gain from integrating a low-cost carrier as a subsidiary.
Looking ahead, ANA forecast net profit would slip 2.5 per cent to ¥108 billion and that operating profits would stagnate.
Rival JAL saw net profit rise 11.4 per cent to ¥150.8 billion as “demand for international flights expanded”.
But JAL also predicted headwinds, with net profits seen dropping around 25 per cent as costs rise due to the ballooning price of fuel and an expanded fleet. — AFP
