Air Mauritius passenger numbers up, Q1 loss narrows

PORT LOUIS (Reuters) - Higher passenger figures helped Air Mauritius trim its first-quarter pretax loss to 6.67 million euros ($8.93 million) from 8.08 million a year earlier, the airline said on Thursday. Mauritius is a popular holiday destination, but the fragile European economy has hurt the airline and the island's tourism industry. Air Mauritius said in a statement it flew 298,624 passengers in the April-June quarter, up 7.0 percent. Its loss per share fell to 0.07 euro from 0.08 euro a year earlier, it said. The company said although industry passenger data was showing signs of improvement, competition was also rising. “IATA forecasts continued improvement in passenger and cargo revenues worldwide. The company however, continues to face increasing competition on major routes,” the airline said. The results were released after markets closed and shares in Air Mauritius had traded unchanged at 17.50 rupees. (1 US dollar = 0.7467 euro)