(Reuters) - New Zealand's Auckland International Airport Ltd on Friday posted a 2.9 percent rise in underlying first-half profit, boosted a rise in passengers flying to the island nation in particular from Indonesia and the Philippines.
Underlying profit came in at NZ$136.9 million for the six months ended Dec. 31, compared with NZ$133.1 million for the same period the previous year, the company said.
The country's biggest airport operator said a rise in passengers from emerging Asian markets, in particular a four-fold jump in travellers from Indonesia and Philippines, offset a slowdown in Chinese passengers, with total passengers jumping 3.7 percent during the period.
In a separate statement, the operator said it would cut its charges to airlines by NZ$33 million over the current five-year pricing period, equalling 31 New Zealand cents per share, following a report on pricing by the Commerce Commission.
The firm held its 2019 net profit guidance of between NZ$265 million and NZ$275 million, which it said would amount to slower growth in earnings per share.
That slowdown reflected lower international passenger charges to airlines and rising expenses as the firm invests more than NZ$1 million a day as part of its infrastructure programme, first announced in 2017.
The company announced an interim dividend of 11 New Zealand cents per share, up from 10.75 New Zealand cents in the prior period.
(Reporting by Syed Saif Hussain Naqvi; And Niyati Shetty in Bengaluru; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
