British Airways owner sees profit jump on 'strong' demand

IAG, the owner of British Airways and Spanish carrier Iberia, said Friday that its net profit jumped 44 percent in the first six months of the year on "strong demand". 

Profit after tax came in at 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) compared with 905 million euros in the first half of 2024, IAG said in a statement.

Group revenue increased eight percent to 15.9 billion euros in the January-June period year-on-year, "reflecting strong demand for our network and brands", it added.

The company, which in May announced a multi-billion-dollar order for Boeing and Airbus planes, owns also Spanish carrier Vueling and Irish airline Aer Lingus.

"Our strong performance in the first half of 2025 reflects the resilience of demand for travel," IAG chief executive Luis Gallego said in Friday's statement.

"We continue to benefit from the trend of a structural shift in consumer spending towards travel," he added.

IAG expressed confidence "in delivering good earnings growth" for the full year, "whilst being mindful of the ongoing uncertainty that may result from the geopolitical and macroeconomic backdrop".

bcp/rl