Deutsche Lufthansa AG achieved its operating-result objective for 2014. The EUR 954 million operating profit reported for the year was a EUR 255 million or 37% improvement on the prior-year result.
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Following a revision of its original projections owing to negative yield trends and the extraordinary impact of strike action, the company had projected an operating profit for the year of EUR 1 billion in June 2014, provided no additional costs were incurred through further industrial action.
Total Lufthansa Group revenue for the year remained broadly unchanged at around EUR 30 billion, despite the substantial yield declines in the passenger transport segment.
Results were boosted by a EUR 364 million decline in fuel costs (deriving largely from fuel price reductions) and a EUR 351 million benefit from the changes that were made to the Lufthansa Group’s aircraft and spare powerplant depreciation policy in 2014.
Strike actions by pilots and security personnel reduced the 2014 operating result by a total of EUR 232 million (EUR 62 million thereof in December alone). The adjusted operating result, which excludes the non-recurring effects of SCORE-related restructuring costs and project costs, amounted to EUR 1.2 billion (compared to EUR 1.0 billion for 2013).
The high investments of EUR 2.8 billion were largely concerned with fleet renewals and cabin interior enhancements.
Net profit for the year under IFRS amounted to EUR 55 million, substantially below the EUR 313 million of 2013. The decline is attributable to a number of factors, particularly a reduction in the market value of the exchangeable notes for JetBlue shares and the adverse impact of the changes in the value of fuel price hedging options.
The net result under IFRS was further burdened by the contractually-agreed sale of the infrastructure division of Lufthansa Systems AG.
The 2014 net result under the German local GAAP HGB was even further depressed. In addition to the sale of the IT infrastructure division, the net result here was reduced in particular by an increase in pension liabilities following a further fall in average interest rates, and by the need to make provisions for contingent losses on fuel price hedges following the steep oil price declines.
As a consequence, the net result under the local GAAP HGB amounted to EUR -732 million. The loss was offset by a corresponding transfer from capital reserves. In view of the HGB net loss, no dividend can be distributed for 2014. ■