Air Berlin sees profit lift-off

World Cup fever boosted the airline

Low-cost German airline Air Berlin flew back into the black last year, as its expansion plan paid dividends.

The firm, which floated its shares last year, made a pre-tax profit of 64.1m euros (£43m; $84m) in 2006, compared with a 5.5m euro loss the year before.

The firm saw its sales rise 28% to 1.57bn euros as it was boosted by the launch of new routes, the World Cup, and the purchase of rival airline DBA.

Demand for cheap travel has aided the firm, but it faces tough competition.

On target

Foreign operators, including Ryanair and Easyjet, have expanded in Germany.

However, Air Berlin said it had recorded the best annual trading performance in its history.

"We reached all the targets we set for ourselves for 2006," said Joachim Hunold, the firm's chief executive.

"Despite the costs of going public and the integration of DBA, our profit even exceeded the expectations of most analysts."