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Lufthansa wants to take part in much-needed industry consolidation in Europe so carriers can compete better with US and Asian rivals, CE Carsten Spohr said Thursday. Spohr told an annual shareholders meeting that the 5 largest airlines in the US have an 80% share of the market, while in Europe the top 5 have just 40%. "Consolidation is a part of what needs to happen in Europe in order to make the sector more competitive when compared to the United States and Asia," Spohr said. "As Europe's largest airline, we want to take part in consolidation, not just be a bystander," he told investors. Lufthansa said late Wednesday it was looking at ways to bring part-owned Brussels Airlines under its Eurowings brand, though the Islamic State attacks in Brussels have pushed back the deadline for a decision to August. <br/>

ANA has reported a net profit of JPY78.1b (US$694m) for the financial year through March 31, doubling its profit of JPY39.2b in the previous year. Operating revenue rose 4.5% for the 2015/2016 year. For the 12 months through March 2017, ANA is projecting a slight increase in net profit to JPY80b. While global uncertainties remain, Japan’s economy “is expected to continue its gradual recovery,” the company said. ANA’s international traffic and passenger numbers rose 14% and 13.3%, respectively, for the year through March 31, surpassing JAL's totals for the first time. ANA’s international capacity rose 10.6% during this period, although in this category it had already passed JAL in the previous financial year. In contrast to international, ANA’s domestic capacity was down 1.3% for the 2015/2016 financial year. <br/>