IAG's first ever 1Q operating profit marks further progress towards its long term targets

While IAG's major competitors are confronted with precarious labour and financial situations, the Group continues its strong march towards profitability. Its 1Q2015 results provided a first ever positive operating profit in the seasonally weak 1Q. Currency movements (mainly the strong USD) inflated both revenue and costs, with the net impact only very mildly negative. The swing to an operating profit from a loss in 1Q2014 was driven by unit revenues rising more rapidly than unit costs (or, excluding exchange rate effects, unit revenue falling less rapidly than unit costs).

At the individual airline level, British Airways returned to 1Q operating profit for the first time since before the global financial crisis and both Iberia and Vueling narrowed their margins of loss. What's more, in spite of Vueling's teething problems at its new Rome base, its rolling 12 month return on invested capital is above the group's 2016 target of 12%.

IAG as a whole and its other two subsidiaries remain short of this hurdle, but the group has reiterated its 2015 operating profit target and is confident it can reach its 2016 goals.