A few hours after Qantas’ A380 made an emergency landing at Perth Airport this morning, the airline announced it expects profits to reach up to $350 million during the first half of 2015.
The market update revealed the forthcoming six months will be the airline’s most profitable since 2010. It will also be an improvement of over $550 million compared to the same period last year.
According to the airline, all segments are expected to be profitable during the first half of 2015 – a turnover which has been driven by the progress of Qantas’ $2 billion transformation program.
The three-and-a-half year transformation program was launched earlier this year and is designed to create a stable operating environment through new routes and lounges.
Cheaper fuel prices will also see the carrier save up to $30 million between January and May 2015.
“Thanks to the hard work of our people, we are delivering the cost and revenue- focused initiatives needed to strengthen our business, without compromising the premium service that matters to our customers. As our recent announcements show, from new lounges to new routes and the upgrade of our A330 fleet, customers remain at the heart of our strategy.”
Alan Joyce, Qantas chief executive
Meanwhile, earlier today a Qantas’ A380 was forced to make an emergency landing at Perth Airport after losing air conditioning.
According to News.com.au, the aircraft was flying from Dubai to Sydney when its air conditioning switched off one hour outside of Perth.
The aircraft was put in emergency descent mode at 39,000 feet and eventually leveled out at 10,000 feet in order to maintain internal air pressure.
“The aircraft landed safely and was inspected by engineers. As the crew had reached their maximum duty limits before the issue could be fixed on the ground, customers have been provided with overnight accommodation and will be booked on the next available services today to their destination.”
Qantas spokesperson
