Spanish airline Iberia posted a net loss for the first half of 2006 due to higher fuel costs, the carrier said.
Its net loss came to €9.2m in the first six months of the year, compared with a net profit of €29.2m in the same period a year earlier.
Iberia said that fuel costs in the second quarter of 2006 had risen by 62.2% to €116m, noting that the price of a barrel of Brent North Sea crude was 35% higher on average over the period on a 12-month basis.
Sales in the first half grew by 13.8% to €2.653 billion and core earnings were up by 5.3% at €318.5m.
