For the year now coming to a close, ANA finds itself in overall good shape, despite recent hard times for the economy and a backdrop of uncertainty caused by volatile fuel prices and the deep, systemic changes that have become so prevalent in the air travel industry recently.
Profit figures for 2005 came in at 32.4 million euros, compared to the sum of 31.2 million for the previous year, which represents 4% growth. EBITDA increased to 17.9%, going from 85.5 million euros in 2004 to 100.9 million in 2005. Turnover increased 10.4%, coming in at 243.4 million euros.
Consolidated income was valued at 23.8 million euros, and this reflects the impact of certain participating companies. Nevertheless, this is positive as it shows an increase of 11.6% over the previous year. Worthy of note is the favourable performance of Portway, SA, which showed a profit for the first time.
In 2005, ANA, SA moved about 20.3 million passengers, 221.8 aircraft and 126.2 tonnes of cargo. Its workforce averaged about 1,370 employees.
Ever attentive to issues of development, the Company has increased its efforts in pro-active airport marketing in partnership with regional and national entities with ties to the tourism sector as a way to dynamise the advancement of new routes. One of the fruits of this impetus is the Accord of Understanding recently signed between the Portuguese Tourism Institute (Instituto de Turismo de Portugal) and ANA, whose fundamental aim is the development of a proposal to launch the Fund for the Development of Routes (Fundo de Desenvolvimento de Rotas).
It should be noted that in 2005, several new routes were indeed put into operation at airports run by ANA, SA: seven from the Lisbon Airport, five from the Sá Carneiro Airport, seven from the Faro Airport, and three from the Azores airports. More new routes will be opened in 2006.
For the management of ANA, SA, the continually changing profile of air traffic at present and the marked growth of low-cost airlines (which are increasingly present on the global stage) make it such that our airports must constantly adapt by enhancing systems to attract air traffic and air travellers and by assuring efficiency of airport operations. This can be done namely via the diversification of pricing per standard of service but should still maintain strictest compliance to the principles of transparency and non-discrimination.
The Company has seen brought to fruition a series of airport infrastructure development projects that have satisfied growing demand, thus guaranteeing higher levels of service. Thus, within this framework and with a view to making the Sá Carneiro Airport the largest and best airport in the Northwest Iberian Peninsula, the Company a few years ago began a massive project of rebuilding and expanding existing infrastructures, leading to the proud opening in October of 2005 of the new passenger terminal and in December of the North BusGate.
Given the need for the construction of a new airport for Lisbon – a facility approved and slated to open in 2017 – the Development Plan for the Lisbon Airport at Portela nevertheless has earmarked several important improvements that will allow the current airport to properly handle demand until the new airport is up and running.
Conscious of the scope and impact that the new airport for Lisbon will have for the country and for civil aviation, it has focused particularly on this endeavour. The entity NAER – Novo Aeroporto, SA was in charge of the unveiling to the public of this project with the presentation in November 2005 of ‘Lisbon 2017 : An Airport for the Future.’
Finally, there is the agreement that ANA and Fraport signed at the end of 2005 in which the latter surrendered its shares of stock in Portway, which then represented 40% of Fraport’s social capital. As a result of this transaction, ANA now holds 100% of Portway’s social capital.
ANA, SA is committed to doing the utmost in the future to serve the needs of air transport by offering its customers service at the highest standards in the face of the constant changes in the air traffic field yet at the same time incorporating a competitive quality-to-price relationship that will safeguard the interests of shareholders and provide for the professional and personal satisfaction of its employees.