(Reuters) - New Zealand's biggest airport operator Auckland Airport <AIA.NZ> reported a 6 percent rise in its full-year underlying profit on Thursday, beating forecasts and supported by a rise in passengers using the airport.
Its annual underlying profit was NZ$263.1 million ($174.59 million), compared to NZ$247.8 million the previous year. This was higher than the NZ$251 million average forecast compiled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
The company proposed to pay 21.75 New Zealand cents per share in dividends for the year, higher than the 20.5 New Zealand cents it proposed at the same time last year.
(Reporting by Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler)
