Virgin expects better second quarter

Virgin Australia says the capacity war with Qantas is easing and will help it make an underlying profit in the second quarter of this financial year.

Virgin Australia aircraft in Sydney

(AAP Image/Dean Lewins) Source: AAP

Virgin Australia expects to notch up an underlying profit in the second quarter as its fierce war with Qantas for customers eases.

Chief executive John Borghetti told the airline's annual general meeting on Wednesday there were signs conditions were moderating in the domestic market.

"While the domestic market continues to suffer from over capacity, there is evidence that this is easing," he said.

Mr Borghetti said while there was still uncertainty about the economy and consumer sentiment remained subdued, Virgin expected to produce an underlying profit in the second quarter of the 2015 financial year.

The airline in August unveiled a massive $355.6 million loss for 2013/14, following a bruising capacity war with Qantas, and outlined plans to cut costs by $1 billion over three years.

Rival Qantas recently confirmed it made an underlying profit in the September quarter, and expected to deliver an underlying profit in the first half partly because the battle for domestic market share had cooled.

Mr Borghetti said in four years Virgin had increased the percentage of domestic revenue from the corporate and government market from around 10 to more than 25 per cent.

"We are in a position where we are still continuing to win corporate share, which gives us better yields," he said.

Virgin also expects its budget airline Tigerair to break even by the end of the 2016 financial year, six months earlier than forecast.

Virgin recently announced it was taking complete ownership of Tigerair Australia by buying the remaining 40 per cent it did not already own.

Mr Borghetti said significant savings were expected from operating efficiencies that would lift the budget carrier's revenue.

At the meeting, some shareholders expressed disappointment about executive pay packages at Virgin.

Mr Borghetti's remuneration package was worth $4.1 million last financial year, surpassing that of Qantas boss Alan Joyce.

The Australian Shareholders' Association cast proxy votes against the company's remuneration report at the meeting.

However, it was a moot point, as the airline's four major shareholders, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson voted in favour of the executives' pay.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world