Lift-Off for BA's Profits as the Premium Seats Fill Up; CITY BRIEFING

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Byline: ROBERT LEA

BRITISH Airways is on course to reveal its biggest profits since the turn of the millennium as returning first class and business class passengers, plus a controversial fuel surcharge on ordinary passengers, offset the soaring oil price.

For the nine months to the end of December, BA's pre-tax profits came in at [pounds sterling]410 million, more than double the [pounds sterling]185 million reported in the same period in 2003.

For October to December, profits were [pounds sterling]50 million down on the previous year at [pounds sterling]75 million, but chief executive Rod Eddington called the numbers "respectable", given a year-on-year …