Air China third-quarter profit up 5%

Lower expenses helped to push Air China’s operating profit for Q3 up 5.4% to CNY4.86b ($690m). This was despite the airline posting a fall in total revenue for the quarter ended 30 September with a 2.3% decrease to CNY37.8b. Total expenses decreased 2.4% to CNY34.5b. Net profit for the three month period came in at CNY3.62b, a 4.4% increase from the same time last year. For the first nine months of this year, the Star Alliance carrier saw its operating profit drop 3.7% to CNY9.24b, compared to the same period last year. Total operating revenue grew marginally to CNY103b, while total operating cost rose 0.6% to CNY97.5b.<br/>