International Airlines Group (LON:IAG) released strong third quarter results on Friday, raising its 2015 profit guidance after pre-tax profit grew 48 percent on last year.
IAG, who own British Airways, Iberia and Vueling, recently added Irish airline Aer Lingus to its portfolio. THe company now expects full-year operating profit (excluding Aer Lingus) to be between 2.25 and 2.3 billion euros, up on the previous forecast of 2.2 billion.
The company also announced on Thursday that it would be paying its first dividend since its creation in 2011, which will be 10 euro cents per share.
In a statement, Chief Executive Willie Walsh they were “reporting strong quarter results with a positive contribution from all of our airlines.”
Aer Lingus proved a valuable asset to the group, disclosing an operating profit of €45m between 18 August and 30 September.
The airline sector has been hugely helped by falling oil prices, with several large airlines, including German operator Luthansa, posting positive third quarter results. For IAG, fuel costs fell between by 8.6% between June and September.
