...from the FT a week or so ago:
Excel Airways heads north as profit soars
Shares in Excel Airways were up 17.4 per cent at 155p in late morning trading in London on Tuesday after the charter airline and seat broker said its full-year profit to October 31 soared by 296 per cent to £13.4m.
Turnover in the period grew by 36 per cent to £247m.
Excel said its performance in the period was fuelled by the successful launch of its low-cost charter services to the Caribbean.
Earnings per share almost trebled to 9.68p from 2.69p after Excel sold almost 1.8m seats on its own and other services.
Eamonn Mullaney, Excel’s chairman, said: “Our Winter 2003/ 2004 season programme has been substantially arranged and we are in the process of finalising the arrangements for the Summer 2004 season.
In view of the progress that has been made with customers and passengers to date, the programme established for our aircraft over the quiet Winter 2003/04 season and the growing demand for low cost seats, we look forward to the future with considerable optimism.”