By Pierre Bertrand
Turkish Airlines reported a surge in profit and higher revenue for the fourth quarter after passenger numbers rose.
Turk Hava Yollari, as the Turkish flag carrier is formally known, on Wednesday posted a quarterly net profit of $3.23 billion, compared with $473 million a year prior.
The carrier handled 19.5 million passengers in the quarter, 8.5% more than in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Overall revenue climbed 7.3% to $5.12 billion. However, revenue at the airline's cargo business fell 3.3% to $787 million.
Expenses increased 17% to $4.87 billion. The group paid $1.69 billion for fuel in the quarter, 6.7% more than in the previous year. Airlines have been grappling for months with inflation-driven costs that mainly stem from higher salaries, but also air-traffic control charges and airport fees.
The carrier counted 440 aircraft in its fleet at the end of December, and is among a rare few that still operate direct flights to Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
Write to Pierre Bertrand at pierre.bertrand@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
04-03-24 1254ET