TOKYO, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Japan Airlines (JAL) said Monday its net profit for the April-September period fell 42.2 percent from a year earlier to 39.07 billion yen (about 247 million U.S. dollars), as soaring fuel prices and a weaker yen pushed up operating costs.
The airline's revenue rose 11.7 percent to 1.10 trillion yen in the first half of the business year through September, the company said.
Meanwhile, surging fuel prices and the persistent depreciation of the yen led to a sharp increase in fuel expenses, increasing operating expenses by 16.5 percent year-on-year to 1.038 trillion yen, according to the company's results.
International passenger revenue increased 16.0 percent to 426.6 billion yen, while domestic passenger revenue grew 5.8 percent to 319.7 billion yen.
Despite the revenue growth, the number of international passengers fell 3.1 percent to 3.86 million, while domestic passenger numbers declined 2.2 percent to 18.70 million.
For the current fiscal year ending March 2027, JAL maintained its full-year forecast of 110 billion yen in net profit, down 20.1 percent from the previous year, and revenue of 2.1 trillion yen, up 4.1 percent. (1 U.S. dollar equals about 158 yen) ■
