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British Airways International Airlines Group warned that business trips do not return to pre-pondemic levels, since high-expenditure leisure passengers helped him register bumper profits.
Operational profits increased 22 percent to a record of 4.3 billion euros in 2024, he said Friday, since he described the plans to return to € 1 billion to shareholders.
“We have seen a strong continuous demand for travel for 2024 and now in 2025, particularly in our main markets,” said IAG, which has five airlines, including Iberia from Spain and Aer Lingus of Ireland.
But while there was an increase in the corporate trip that used to fill its premium seats, IAG said that “we estimate that it will not recover completely to the levels prior to COVID-19, particularly for trips of short duration and short distance.”
The head of the Global Business Travel Association told The Financial Times last year That business trip had been installed in a “new normality” that involved less one -day trips with flights, partly due to online video meetings.
Companies, including professional services, PWC, EY and Marsh McLennan, have also described plans to reduce emissions by reducing air trips.
Since the end of the pandemic, British Airways and other important airlines have managed to occupy their commercial and first -class seats with leisure passengers willing to pay high prices.
IAG said the leisure trip “remains robust as an important priority for homes.”
“In recent years, we have seen this driven by a change as customers value experiences on material purchases,” he added.
The price of IAG shares has more than duplicated during the past year, since investors have encouraged a series of strong quarterly financial results, based on a high demand for travel, particularly on the key group routes throughout the Atlantic.
The company said it planned to return to € 1 billion in “excess capital” to shareholders this year.
IAG said it would also pay a complete 2024 dividend of € 0.09 per share, after restoring an interim dividend last year, when it also launched a repurchase of shares of 350 million euros.
Operational profits in BA increased 14 percent year after year to € 2 billion, since the airline was driven by a strong demand for “highly valuable” routes between the United Kingdom and the United States.
The airline has suffered prolonged operational problems From the end of the pandemic, particularly in its center at the Heathrow London airport.
IAG said that BA had improved its operational performance in 2024, but warned that the airline faced “continuous challenges related to the availability of airplanes”, particularly its fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft, which have had problems with their Rolls-Royce engines.
The actions in IAG increased 5 percent in the morning negotiation in London.