The airline, which has been hit both by a volcanic ash cloud that closed air traffic over Europe in April and the economic crisis, said the operating result for the financial year to end of the March 2011 would be positive, excluding a "major adverse event."
In July the company said it would break even at the operating level, excluding the impact of the airspace closures in April, which cost the company 158 million euros.
In July the airline also unveiled a narrower-than-expected first-quarter loss of 132 million euros ($170.4 million) in the three months to end-June, less than half the average loss forecast by markets, as premium seats and cargo space filled up.
Without the shutdown of European airspace due to concerns over volcanic ash in April, the airline group said it would have made a marginal profit. That underscores a faster-than-expected recovery in cargo traffic, a barometer for global trade. (Reuters)
