Airline Bmi, which operates seven flights a day on the Dublin to Heathrow route, has reported pre-tax profits of £29.7m for last year, almost treble the £10m recorded in 2005.
But the figure was boosted by exceptional gains, and operating profits were 85% higher at £10.2m on 4% higher turnover of £905m. Passenger numbers were static at 10.5 million, while load factor rose slightly to 71.7%.
Chairman and main shareholder Sir Michael Bishop said the results would have been even better were not for disruptions at Heathrow caused by a security alert in August and fog in December. These cost Bmi £10m in revenue. But the airline said these negative factors had been offset by continuing cost-cutting measures.
There has been speculation recently that BA and Virgin were lining up bids for Bmi if Sir Michael, the controlling shareholder, decided to sell his stake.
