International Airlines Group has announced record profits for the first half of 2023, with air fares up almost 10% on last year.
The British Airways owner said it expected its flight capacity across the group to recover to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year, with booming demand pushing it to a half-yearly operating profit of €1.3bn (£1.1bn) from losses of €446m (£383m) for the first six months of 2022.
The BA chief executive, Sean Doyle, said the airline was much more resilient than it was last year and had “navigated through to the end of July, I think at a much better place”.
French air traffic control strikes were still causing disruption, with BA particularly affected because its flights out of Heathrow and Gatwick rely heavily on crossing French airspace.
Summer 2022 was marked by significant upheaval, with BA forced to cancel thousands of flights due to labour shortages, especially at its main Heathrow hub.
The airline said it was building resilience against further disruption by recruiting 4,000 people so far in 2023, mainly in ground operations, and leasing additional aircraft with crew.