Cathay Pacific 2015 net profit soars 90% on low oil prices

[HONG KONG] Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific said on Wednesday that net profit for 2015 rose 90 per cent, beating expectations, with the firm attributing the surge to huge savings on fuel as oil prices tumbled.

The Hong Kong-listed company reported a net profit of HK$6 billion (S$1.07 billion), compared with HK$3.15 billion the year before.

This compares with the average estimate of HK$5.32 billion by 13 analysts questioned by Bloomberg.

"The business benefited from low fuel prices," the firm's chairman John Slosar said in a statement filed to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Fuel costs for the carrier, and its subsidiary Dragonair, plunged 37.8 per cent, it said.

Savings were partially offset by a widened hedging loss, which increased to HK$8.47 billion.

AFP