Lufthansa's net losses almost doubled in the first three months of the current year, with the airline warning that it would post a full-year operating loss as a result of the sluggish global economy, SARS and the situation in the Middle East.
The German airline said net losses widened to €356m from $186m a year earlier. Underlying earnings also nosedived, with the airline flying into an operating loss of $415m compared with a profit of €12m in the first quarter of 2002.
Lufthansa had already reported a decline in passenger numbers in April as SARS took its toll on the group's Asian business.
