The parent company of British Airways has raised its forecast for annual operating profits due to stronger bookings, saying it expects capacity to be at 97% of the 2019 pre-pandemic year.

International Airlines Group (IAG), which also counts Iberia and Aer Lingus among its stable of brands, said its focus on restoring earnings on key routes was paying off.

It reported that Latin America and North America traffic had already exceeded the levels seen before the COVID public health emergency kicked in to devastate international traffic.

Revenue over the first three months of the year, its first quarter, came in at €5.9bn compared to the €3.4bn achieved in the same period last year as travel was getting back in gear.