It was the first to go and the last to return, but international traffic has come roaring back for Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc. with the pandemic officially over.
Revenue from the segment jumped 61 percent in the June quarter from the prior period last year, contributing to record quarterly sales and profit three years after COVID-19 forced a shutdown of most cross-border passenger routes.
According to results posted July 13, overall revenues jumped 19 percent in the quarter to $14.6 billion and operating income by 17.1 percent to $2.5 billion, buoyed by new destinations and deeper access to global markets from hubs in Atlanta and beyond.
Strong trans-Atlantic demand was led by tourist traffic southern Europe, including destinations like Nice, France, where Delta brought back a long-dormant nonstop flight from Atlanta in May. The LATAM Airlines joint venture continued to give Delta travelers more choices in South America and the Caribbean, and the Korean Air joint venture and resumption of tourist traffic to Japan helped drive Asia traffic.
The earnings release did not mention China, where Delta has yet to restart nonstop flights from the U.S. amid bilateral tensions and an American ban on the use of Russian airspace during the war in Ukraine. China has eliminated COVID-19 restrictions for travelers but maintains restrictions on the number of flights that can come into the country.
Delta in March said it would resume some China service from Detroit and Seattle via one-stop flights through Incheon Airport in Seoul.
View the full second-quarter results here.
