Skymark Air says net income soared
Skymark Airlines Inc, Japan's largest low-fare carrier, more than doubled net income in the fiscal second quarter after winning passengers from larger All Nippon Airways Co and Japan Airlines Corp.
Skymark's net income was 2.25 billion yen ($20 million) in the three months ended September 30, compared with 912 million yen a year earlier. Sales rose 33 percent to 16.1 billion yen from 12.1 billion yen. The figures were derived by subtracting first-quarter results from first-half earnings announced today and confirmed by airline spokesman Hajime Kurokawa.
The Tokyo-based airline flew about a third more passengers in the period than a year earlier, according to figures compiled from its website. President Shinichi Nishikubo said the carrier, whose shares have surged 84 percent this year, may start three new routes as early as December 2008 from Nagoya to the northern city of Sapporo, the southwestern city of Fukuoka and the island of Okinawa.
Skymark flew 1.05 million passengers in the quarter, compared with 800,929 a year earlier. It filled 87.4 percent of seats in August, its busiest month, up from 71.9 percent a year earlier.
The discount carrier still lags behind All Nippon, which flew 12 million domestic passengers last quarter, and Japan Air, which carried 11.9 million passengers, according to company data.
The carrier rose 0.9 percent to close at 345 yen, the highest in four months, on the Tokyo Stock Exchange before it announced earnings.
Bloomberg News
(China Daily 11/15/2007 page16)
