
British Airways parent IAG lands €1.3b profit as travellers keep flying
Profit after tax came in at €1.3 billion (RM6.35 billion) compared with €905 million in the first half of 2024, IAG said in a statement.
Group revenue increased eight per cent to €15.9 billion in the January-June period year-on-year, 'reflecting strong demand for our network and brands', it added.
The company, which in May announced a multi-billion-dollar order for Boeing and Airbus planes, owns also Spanish carrier Vueling and Irish airline Aer Lingus.
'Our strong performance in the first half of 2025 reflects the resilience of demand for travel,' IAG chief executive Luis Gallego said in Friday's statement.
'We continue to benefit from the trend of a structural shift in consumer spending towards travel,' he added.
IAG expressed confidence 'in delivering good earnings growth' for the full year, 'whilst being mindful of the ongoing uncertainty that may result from the geopolitical and macroeconomic backdrop'. — AFP

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Free Malaysia Today
25 minutes ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Liverpool's Wirtz unfazed by huge price tag
Florian Wirtz has brushed off the size of his transfer fee and says his price tag 'doesn't matter'. (AP pic) LONDON : Florian Wirtz says his huge price tag 'doesn't matter' as he prepares for his first season in the Premier League after a switch to champions Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen. The attacking midfielder arrived at Anfield for an initial £100 million that could rise to £116 million with add-ons, making his move a potential British record. However, speaking after impressing in a 3-2 friendly win over Athletic Bilbao yesterday, the 22-year-old brushed off the size of his transfer fee. 'I don't think about it. I just want to play football and how much money the clubs pay between each other, it doesn't matter,' he said. 'Of course the big challenge is to win the title again and it is the most difficult thing so (I will) try and just create chances and also work against the ball. 'I can also run a lot so (I will) bring this to the team and then with the ball I can make the team better and bring my teammates into better situations.' Liverpool face FA Cup winners Crystal Palace in the season-opening Community Shield on Sunday and kick off their Premier League title defence at home to Bournemouth on Aug 15. Germany international Wirtz said he was relishing the challenge. 'There are some differences to Germany but I think there is also something I can learn and make me better so I am really looking forward to it,' he said. 'It's more intense and more physical, every player is really strong, really fast. That is what everybody is telling me.' Big spenders Liverpool have spent more than £250 million so far in the summer transfer window on a clutch of new players including Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, who also came from Leverkusen, and Giorgi Mamardashvili. The club is understood to have made a bid of around £110 million plus potential add-ons for unsettled Newcastle striker Alexander Isak last week, which was rejected. Manager Arne Slot said after two friendlies against Athletic Bilbao at Anfield yesterday that there was 'always room for improvement' despite the club's march to a record-equalling 20th league title last season. 'We've added a few, in my opinion, extra weapons,' said the Dutchman. 'So, Florian has a lot of creativity in the final third. We've lost with Trent (Alexander-Arnold, who has signed for Real Madrid) a lot of creativity from the back. 'Trent's crosses and picking out runners was so special – I think Flo has this quality as well in a totally different position.' Liverpool paid tribute to late forward Diogo Jota in their first matches at Anfield since the forward and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in Spain last month. Slot said in his programme notes that it had been a 'tough time for everyone connected with the club, but especially for Diogo's family, his wife, his children and friends'. 'We cannot imagine the pain that they have been going through, and the club will continue to give them all the support they can going forward,' he wrote. 'We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go.'


Free Malaysia Today
4 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
BP returns to profit in second quarter
Shares in BP gained 1.7% in early London deals following today's update. (EPA Images pic) LONDON : British energy group BP today posted a net profit for the second quarter, in contrast to weaker results from energy rivals, as lower exceptional charges offset falling oil prices. Profit after tax came in at US$1.63 billion in the April-June period, compared with a net loss of US$129 million in the second quarter of 2024, BP said in an earnings statement. Stripping out exceptional items, underlying net profit was down nearly 15%. 'This has been another strong quarter for BP operationally and strategically,' chief executive Murray Auchincloss said in the earnings statement. BP yesterday said it made its biggest oil and gas discovery in 25 years off the coast of Brazil. In February, BP launched a major pivot back to its more profitable oil and gas business, shelving its once industry-leading targets on reducing carbon emissions and slashing clean energy investment. However, energy prices have come under pressure in recent months on concerns that US President Donald Trump's tariffs will hurt economic growth, while Opec+ nations have produced more oil. BP managed to post a profit for the second quarter thanks to impairments which were lower than one year earlier, along with a revaluation of assets – notably in relation to liquefied natural gas (LNG) – and divestments. Sector woes By contrast, French rival TotalEnergies and US groups ExxonMobil and Chevron posted heavy falls to their net profit in the second quarter. British rival Shell posted a slight increase to its profit after tax for the latest reporting period. Shares in BP gained 1.7% in early London deals following its update. Auchincloss added that the company was launching 'a further cost review and, whilst we will not compromise on safety, we are doing this with a view to being best in class in our industry'. BP already announced plans this year to cut cleaner energy investment by more than US$5 billion annually and offload assets worth a total of US$20 billion by 2027. It recently agreed to sell its onshore wind energy business in the US, while Shell has also scaled back its climate objectives. BP last month named Albert Manifold as its new chairman, replacing Helge Lund, whose departure was announced amid the strategy reset. The group's net profit plunged 70% in its first quarter, hit by weaker oil prices.


New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- New Straits Times
UK's Smith+Nephew launches US$500mil buyback after first-half profit beat
KUALA LUMPUR: British medical products maker Smith+Nephew announced on Tuesday a $500-million share buyback for the second half, after reporting a better-than-expected 11.2 per cent growth in first-half profit, as its turnaround plan begins to show results. Shares of Smith+Nephew jumped 14 per cent in early trading. The company, which makes orthopaedic implants, wound dressings and other surgical aids, has been aggressively cutting costs and launching products amid a recovery in its biggest market, the United States, offseting weaker demand in China. Smith+Nephew's orthopaedics segment reported 5 per cent underlying revenue growth in the second quarter, while its Sports Medicine & ENT business grew 5.7 per cent and Advanced Wound Management unit saw a 10.2 per cent rise. "The operational improvements we have made under the 12-Point Plan are increasingly translating into better financial performance," CEO Deepak Nath said in a statement. The London-based company is benefiting from a rise in consumers taking more elective surgeries across key markets, excluding China, where demand headwinds and a bulk-buying programme is weighing on its margins and volumes. Still, Smith+Nephew maintained its full-year outlook and expects higher margin growth in the second half of the year. It continues to expect an impact of US$15 million to US$20 million from tariffs. It posted a trading profit of US$523 million for the six-month period ended June 28, beating analysts' estimates of US$496 million, according to a company-compiled consensus.