Irish flag carrier sees profits soar
Extensive cost-cutting Aer Lingus led to a doubling of profits last year.
The Irish airline made a pre-tax profit of €84.4m (£72m), up from €27.2m the previous year.
Revenues were up 6% to €1.3bn and the average income per passenger was up 4.8% to €112.27.
Aer Lingus said the results were better than anticipated at the start of 2011, primarily due to stronger yields.
It said the results demonstrated "the success of the changes we have made to our business".
Chief executive Christoph Mueller added that the higher profits had been achieved "against a difficult backdrop of non-controllable fuel price inflation, increased airport charges and challenging demand conditions in our primary markets".
The Irish government indicated last week that it plans to sell its 25% stake in the airline.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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