Qantas Airways will resume paying shareholders a dividend for the first time since the pandemic after the nation’s biggest carrier said strong travel demand helped it boost profits as it works to get back on track after years of scandals and a damning government review.

The airline on Thursday declared it would pay shareholders $250 million in base dividends and $150 million by way of a special dividend, taking its payout for the December half to 26.4 cents a share, fully franked. It’s the first dividend since 2019.

The announcement came as Qantas reported its profit after tax rose 6 per cent to $923 million, while underlying profit before tax jumped 11 per cent to $1.4 billion in the six months to December 31.

“Australians have always loved to travel and continue to prioritise it over other spending options,” Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said in a statement to the ASX. “Looking forward, we continue to see intention to travel from leisure and corporate travellers remaining high.”

More to come…