Air Arabia first quarter net profit rises

Budget carrier Air Arabia , the United Arab Emirates' only listed airline, reported a 9 percent rise in first-quarter net profit on Sunday as it flew more passengers. The Sharjah-based carrier made a net profit of 78.1 million dirhams ($21.3 million) in the three months to March 31, up from 71.7 million dirhams in the corresponding period of 2014, the company said in a statement.
Four analysts surveyed by Reuters had on average forecast Air Arabia would make a first-quarter profit of 95.0 million dirhams. The airline carried 1.8 million passengers in the first quarter of 2015, up 10 percent year-on-year. The company's quarterly revenue was 886 million dirhams, up from 826.6 million dirhams a year ago.