Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) has reported a net profit of 10.35 billion baht for the first six months of its 2004 fiscal year, a jump of nearly 400% from the same period a year earlier.
The increase reflects a steady increase in passenger traffic through the six international airports, including Suvarnabhumi, operated by the company.
Revenue in the period from Oct 1 last year to March 31 this year was 34.19 billion baht, an increase of 71.3% year-on-year, AOT said in a statement to the Stock Exchange of Thailand on Wednesday.
The company handled 367,032 flights in the period, up by 16.9% from the same period a year earlier, chief executive officer Kirati Kitmanawat said. Passenger numbers rose by 23.8% to 61.22 million.
Of the 367,032 flights, 203,731 were international and 163,301 domestic, said Mr Kirati. International passengers totalled 36.82 million while there were 24.4 million domestic passengers.
Comparing the first and second quarters of the fiscal year, the number of flights increased by 6% to 188,818. The number of passengers rose by 12% to 32.3 million.
The government’s visa-free policy has led to Chinese passenger arrivals more than doubling, from an average of 13,200 a day to 28,100 in the second quarter. The number of Indian passengers also increased by 22% to 6,200 a day.
AOT shares closed on Wednesday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 67 baht, unchanged, in turnover worth 1.7 billion baht.
