Australian airline Qantas announced that its distributable profits increased during the first half of the current fiscal year to 923 million Australian dollars (579 million US dollars), an increase of six percent compared to the same period last fiscal year.The company recorded a ten percent increase in passenger numbers, which contributed to the growth of profits for its domestic and international routes, along with its subsidiary Jetstar Airways. It also announced the disbursement of cash dividends to shareholders for the first time since 2019, amounting to $250 million base dividend, and $150 million special dividend.CEO of Qantas Vanessa Hudson revealed a comprehensive program to update the cabins of 42 aircraft out of 737 aircraft in the Qantas fleet, stressing that the strong performance allows the company to invest in improving the customer experience and developing the fleet infrastructure.The company expects strong demand for air travel to continue during the second half of the fiscal year, with domestic revenues growing by 3-5 percent, and international revenues remaining stable.It also recorded operating profits before taxes of $1.385 billion, an increase of $140 million over last year, while revenues increased from $11.127 billion to $12.129 billion during the same period
