Qatar Airways lifts operating profit despite softer revenue and traffic

Qatar Airways has increased its operating profit even as revenue and passenger numbers eased from the previous year’s peaks, according to newly released financial data for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 fiscal periods.

For 2023/24, the group reported an operating profit of around QAR 13.4 billion, up from roughly QAR 10 billion a year earlier, signaling improved efficiency and cost control. Net profit for 2023/24 reached QAR 6.1 billion (about US$1.7 billion) on total revenue of QAR 81 billion (US$22.2 billion), a 6% revenue increase over 2022/23.

In the following 24/25 fiscal year, Qatar Airways said group profit climbed further to more than QAR 7.85 billion (US$2.15 billion), even as top-line growth slowed and passenger volumes came off post-World Cup highs. Earlier, the airline had carried about 43 million passengers and generated QAR 76.3 billion (US$21.0 billion) in revenue in 2022/23, when traffic and yields surged on strong demand and expanded capacity.

The latest figures indicate that, while revenue and passenger numbers are normalizing after rapid post-pandemic and World Cup-driven growth, Qatar Airways is extracting higher operating returns from its network. The carrier’s profitability gains come despite a marginal capacity reduction reported for 2025 compared with 2024, suggesting a focus on yield management, longer sector lengths, and tighter cost discipline.