aNegative results for the airline in the first quarter equaled one billion euros.
In 2020, Delta incurred more than $ 12 billion (about 10 billion euros) in losses, in a year marked by the crisis in the aviation industry due to restrictions to contain the Covid-19 epidemic, after it received federal aid and limited losses in the fourth quarter.
In the first three months of 2021, revenue fell 60% from the previous year, to $ 4.15 billion, beating analyst expectations of $ 3.94 billion.
The company’s CEO, Ed Bastian, said ticket sales in the past two weeks were the strongest since the pandemic began affecting air travel about a year ago.
“Our activity is changing course and is entering an active recovery phase,” Bastian said. “We are seeing the business continue to improve as consumer confidence increases,” he said.
The airline expects to return to profitability in the “September quarter”.
Delta bookings doubled between January and March, with leisure travel sales in the United States recovering to 85% from pre-pandemic levels.
In terms of international travel, the pace of recovery will be slower. Bastian said that if governments relax restrictions, flights between the US and the UK may recover quickly, but the big travel to Europe, Asia and South America will likely take six months or a year from now.
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