Eurostar blames strong pound and Paris attacks for profit fall
A challenging end to 2015 meant zero growth in passenger numbers for Eurostar last year and a fall in profit.
The rail operator carried 10.4 million passengers in 2015, the same as the previous year.
It said passenger numbers dropped sharply after the Paris terror attacks in November.
Revenues were also impacted by the strength of sterling. At constant exchange rates, sales revenues for 2015 were flat year-on-year whereas at actual rates sales revenues dropped by 5% to £821 million from £867 million in 2014.
Underlying operating profit for the year also fell, from £55 million in 2014 to £34 million.
But chief executive Nicolas Petrovic said trading has started to pick up over the first two months of 2016 and forward bookings for the summer are looking positive.
"After a challenging end to 2015, trading is picking up and the outlook for the summer is positive. With our new state-of-the-art trains and highly competitive fares to a range of destinations, we expect this trend to gather momentum over the coming months," he said.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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