Asiana Airlines swings to profit in Q2

SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Yonhap) -- Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's No. 2 air carrier, said Thursday that it swung to profit in the second quarter of this year on strong demand for air traffic.
Net profit came to 17.7 billion won (US$16.3 million) in the April-June period, a turnaround from a loss of 4.6 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing.
Sales rose 6.6 percent on-year to 1.3 trillion won over the cited period but operating profit plunged 64.1 percent to 49.7 billion won.
Asiana Airlines said an increase in international passengers and cargo traffic helped improve its second-quarter earnings. But the fuel price hike eroded its operating profit, the company added.
Shares of Asiana Airlines traded at 9,470 won as of 12:05 p.m., up 0.32 percent from Wednesday's close.