Swiss International Air Lines, owned by Germany’s Lufthansa, has announced an operating profit of SFr129 million ($162 million) for the first six months of the year.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch
In a statement, Swiss said the result more than doubled the operating profit of SFr61 million for the first half of 2010.
Total income from operating activities for January to June 2011 was SFr2,406 billion, a seven per cent year increase compared with the year before.
The company said the second quarter saw “a particularly strong improvement” on the same three months of 2010, in which results had been depressed through the airspace closures prompted by Iceland’s volcanic ash cloud and the corresponding revenue losses.
“Given the difficult market environment, we can be satisfied with these first-half results,” said chief executive Harry Hohmeister. “At the same time, though, the challenges continue to grow.”
The statement said that increased demand, especially on intercontinental routes, had largely offset the adverse effects of high fuel prices and a strong Swiss franc. First-half business was additionally burdened by the political unrest in North Africa and the Middle East and the repercussions of the earthquake in Japan.
Also on Thursday, Swiss announced it would offer a new daily non-stop service between Zurich and Beijing from February 2012.
It would also be increasing its capacity over the North Atlantic from summer of next year, deploying its own bigger aircraft on the Zurich-Newark route.
Popular Stories
More
Aging society
No house generation: the impossibility of buying property in Switzerland
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
Living longer: What do you think about the longevity trend?
The longevity market is booming thanks in part to advances in the science of ageing. What do you think of the idea of significantly extending human lifespan?
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss raises bar with fleet and jobs expansion
This content was published on
The additions to the fleet from 2012 will create 2,000 new jobs in Switzerland, around a third of them directly at Swiss. The airline that was forced to shrink shortly after its creation in 2002 is now growing again. The new aircraft will eventually boost the fleet to 90. The airline industry as a whole…
This content was published on
The airline’s founder, Moritz Suter, and its head at the time, André Dosé, are to face charges of negligent homicide and bodily injury caused by negligence at a trial opening on May 5. Both defendants have always maintained their innocence. A Crossair plane with 33 people on board flying from Berlin to Zurich crashed into…
This content was published on
The move comes after Switzerland and Canada signed a memorandum of understanding on the transfer of passenger information on Friday. According to a Swiss Federal Civil Aviation Office statement, the agreement covers 25 types of information, including a person’s name, nationality, passport number and travel ticket data. Left out are “sensitive” details such as religious…
This content was published on
Swissair was the former national airline of Switzerland, created in 1931. For nearly 71 years, it was known as the “Flying Bank” due to the financial stability of the airline. But a failed expansion strategy and the economic turndown led to the grounding of the airline in October 2001. It was kept alive until March…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.