Air Canada beats revenue forecasts, plans 23% capacity boost

Air Canada broke even in the first quarter, taking advantage of pent-up demand for travel and lower fuel costs as it edges closer to a full recovery from the pandemic. The stock price rose as much as 4.7% to C$22 on the Toronto Stock Exchange Friday morning before falling with the broader market. Canada’s largest airline said operating revenue was C$4.9b ($3.6b), nearly double last year’s first quarter, when Canada still had some Covid restrictions in place. That easily beat analysts’ estimates for C$4.5b, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It was the airline’s second-highest quarterly revenue since Covid hit three years ago, surpassed only by last year’s peak summer travel season. Air Canada said it expects to increase capacity 23% this year, bringing its flight schedule to about 90% of 2019 levels. The Canadian airline is following the path of some of its US counterparts in reporting persistently strong demand from travelers. Last month, American Airlines Group Inc. and United Airlines Holdings Inc. both said second-quarter profit may exceed Wall Street projections because of robust bookings for overseas flights. “Our first quarter financial results exceeded both internal and external expectations and we expect demand to persist, supported by strong advance bookings for the remainder of the year,” Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau said in a news release. Advanced ticket sales reached C$5.3b in the quarter, up C$1.2b since December 31, 2022. Its planes are also very full: the airline reported a load factor — a measure of available seats filled by passengers — of almost 85% in the quarter. That compares with 66% a year earlier and is higher than pre-pandemic levels. On the bottom line, Air Canada earned C$4m; it posted a small operating loss of C$17m. The airline’s share price is up 8% this year, but has lagged US peers since the beginning of 2020. Canada kept Covid restrictions in place longer than the US. <br/>