A strong Q2 helped Turkish Airlines post an operating profit of $786m for the first half of the year on a near doubling in revenues compared with the same period last year. The Star Alliance carrier lifted first half revenues to $7.59b from just under $4b in 2020. Notably that reflects a sharp recovery in its passenger business as Covid restrictions eased, jumping to $5.37b from $2.06b. Passenger revenues in the first six months of the year are 8% above pre-crisis levels in 2019. The airline carried just under 31m in the first half. While that is 12% below 2019 levels, the 18.2m it carried over the Q2 was on a par with 2019. The increase in passenger activity also boosted freight revenues, as Turkish Airlines doubled the amount of cargo flown on its passenger aircraft. Total cargo revenues rose to $2.04b in the first half from $1.77b. Cargo, together with the strong leisure and domestic market, has helped Turkish recover strongly from the Covid crisis. Overall first half revenues are 27% above pre-Covid levels, and cargo turnover is 155% higher than the same period in 2019. This helped Turkish Airlines lift first half operating profits from $146 million to $786mn, while it turned a net profit of $737m for the period. That compares to a $1m deficit in the first half of 2020.<br/>
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Japan's summer holiday season started in full swing on Thursday, with reservations for domestic trains and flights leaving Tokyo reaching a peak as travelers took advantage of a lack of coronavirus restrictions for the first time in three years. While more people headed abroad for their break, numbers are nevertheless far below the pre-COVID-19 era as new cases across the country remain elevated, hitting record highs in recent weeks. At Haneda Airport in Tokyo, a long line of masked passengers waited at one of the security checkpoints for domestic flights. According to All Nippon Airways, most outbound flights were also fully booked in the morning. The international lobby of Narita Airport, east of Tokyo, was also packed with travelers. Reservations for domestic flights operated by All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines are at about 80% of passenger levels in 2019.<br/>