Irish airline Aer Lingus, which is trying to resist a takeover bid by larger rival Ryanair, posted an 18 percent boost in operating profit in the three months to June and said it would at least match last year's profit performance.
The former Irish flag carrier said yields per passenger were up 5.3 percent compared to the same period last year and revenues were up 7 percent.
"If current trends continue, Aer Lingus' operating profit, before net exceptional items, for 2012 will be at least that achieved in 2011," chief executive Christoph Mueller said in a statement. Last year's figure came in at EUR€49.1 million (USD$60.2 million).
Ryanair, the largest shareholder in Aer Lingus with a 30 percent holding, is in talks with the European Commission to clear a EUR€694 million (USD$841 million) takeover bid announced last month.
The Commission has said it will decide by August 29 whether to clear the deal.
Aer Lingus, in which the Irish government holds a 25 percent stake, reiterated its call for shareholders to reject Ryanair's offer, which it says the Commission will likely block.
Ryanair on Monday undershot analyst forecasts with a profit slide of 29 percent in the three months to June as it grappled with a mix of austerity, recession and stubbornly high fuel prices.
