Leading American airline Delta is headed to achieve its highest ever revenue in June quarter of the current year, predicts its CEO Ed Bastian, who goes on to say the passenger traffic this summer could upend all records.

Delta Airlines has registered an operating revenue of USD 11.8 billion in the first quarter of the year 2023, recording a 45 pc growth over the same period last year and 14 pc more than the pre-pandemic performance in 2019. The company also reports an operating income of USD 546 million with an operating margin of 4.6 pc. 

Delta CEO Ed Bastian announced the airline’s financial results at a press conference. ‘‘Thanks to the outstanding work and dedication of the Delta team, 2023 is off to a strong start.  We provided well-deserved pay increases for our people and paid more profit sharing than the rest of the industry combined.  Delta is building momentum, with the best people in the industry generating nearly USD 5 billion of operating profit over the last 12 months,’’ said Bastian.

He then went on to predict a record performance in the second quarter of the current year, ending on June 30. ‘‘For the June quarter, we expect to deliver record revenue and an adjusted operating margin of 14 to 16 pc with earnings per share of USD 2.00-2.25,’’ Bastian added.

He says that the air travel is looking at its best summer ever as air travel rebound continues to gain momentum. ‘‘With solid March quarter profitability and a strong outlook for the June quarter, we are confident in our full-year guidance for revenue growth of 15 to 20 pc year over year, earnings of USD 5-6 per share and a free cash flow of over USD 2 billion,’’ said Bastian. The most popular destinations are expected to be New York City, Las Vegas, Orlando and London, he added.