Shenzhen Airport Says 2009 Profits Surged 135%

Shenzhen Airport Co., Ltd. in south China's Guangdong Province said net profits surged 134.92 percent year on year to 575 million yuan (84 million U.S. dollars) in 2009.

Business revenue was 1.66 billion yuan last year, up 9.69 percent compared to the year before. Earnings per share jumped 134.94 percent to 0.3402 yuan, the company said in a statement filed to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Friday.

The airport company attributed the profit rise to booming passenger numbers. The airport saw passenger throughput up 14.4 percent last year, at 24.49 million.

China's air travel market grew in 2009 despite the global downturn, the statement said.

Global passenger throughput fell 2.6 percent last year to 3.221 billion, said the statement, citing figures by the Airport Council International.

China's airports registered 486 million in passenger throughput in 2009, up 19.79 percent, according to figures released in February by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Shares of Shenzhen Airport closed slightly down by 0.13 percent to 7.48 yuan Friday.