HELSINKI, April 22 (Reuters) - Finnish airline Finnair reported a smaller-than-expected comparable operating loss for the first quarter, and said its revenue rose 12.1% year-on-year as demand for Asian flight rose amid disruption in the Middle East.
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January-March comparable operating loss stood at 0.6 million euros ($0.71 million), an improvement from a year-ago loss of 62.6 million euros, which was negatively affected by labour conflicts.
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Analysts had on average forecast a loss of 2.1 million euros in the first quarter of 2026, according to a poll provided by Finnair.
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Revenue rose 12.1% to 778.1 million euros from a year earlier.
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"Successful cost management and, in particular, increased demand for our Asian flights counterbalanced the negative impact of the sharp rise in jet fuel prices," CEO Turkka Kuusisto said.
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Middle East war poses risks related to the availability of fuel, which, if realised, could have a significant negative impact on capacity growth and financial result.
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Guidance unchanged: Finnair still estimates its revenue to be 3.3 billion–3.4 billion euros and comparable operating result to be 120 million–190 million euros in 2026.
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The guidance is based on the assumption that there will be no significant disruptions in fuel availability.
Reporting by Essi Lehto, editing by Terje Solsvik
Source: Reuters