© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Aircraft from Australia’s second largest airline, Virgin Australia, sit on the tarmac at the domestic terminal of Sydney Airport in Australia, August 19, 2018. Picture taken August 19, 2018. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo
(Reuters) – Bain Capital-owned Virgin Australia said on Tuesday that the airline returned to a profit for the first time in 11 years for fiscal 2023, buoyed by a strong recovery in travel demand following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The carrier reported a statutory net profit after tax of A$129 million ($82.93 million) for its financial year 2023, in spite of higher fuel prices as it continued to see healthy demand with capacity returning to desirable levels.
Virgin Australia now has a considerably stronger balance sheet with continued significant improvement in its cost base, CFO Race Strauss said in a statement.
The company reported a group revenue of A$5 billion, an increase of 124% from a year earlier.
Airlines globally have posted robust profits in recent months after flights returned to capacity on surging post-pandemic travel demand after the industry slid to a near halt when the spread of COVID-19 kept most carriers within closed borders in early 2020.
($1 = 1.5555 Australian dollars)
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