Qantas Reports A$1.46B First-Half Pretax Profit

Qantas Airways, Australia's flagship carrier, reported a robust first-half underlying pretax profit of A$1.46 billion on Thursday, surpassing analyst expectations and highlighting sustained travel demand amid fleet modernization and network expansions. The result, announced from the company's Sydney headquarters, marked an increase of A$71 million from the prior corresponding period and was accompanied by updates to the airline's loyalty program, new international routes, and plans for thousands of new jobs.

The profit figure, equivalent to about $1.04 billion, reflected strong performance across Qantas's domestic and international operations, as well as its budget subsidiary Jetstar. Domestic revenue rose 5 percent due to higher capacity, while Jetstar's domestic underlying operating earnings jumped 38 percent. Officials attributed the gains to resilient consumer demand, moderate fuel prices, and efficiencies from newly delivered Airbus aircraft. Around 60 percent of Jetstar's profitability increase stemmed from these planes, which enabled route growth and redeployment of older models. The company added six new aircraft during the half-year and anticipates 30 more over the...