SIA unveils special payout even as profit takes a hit

First-half earnings plummet 67.8%, dragged down by losses at associate Air India

- Sue-Ann Tan Business Correspondent

SIA plans to return capital to shareholders via a special dividend package of 10 cents per share annually over three financial years. This will amount to about $900 million over the period, it said.

(KUA CHEE SIONG)

Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group will be paying its shareholders a special dividend over the next three financial years, even as its earnings were dragged down by losses from associate Air India, among other things.

SIA's earnings, or net profit, fell 67.8 per cent year on year to $239 million in the first half of its financial year ending on Sept 30, due to lower interest income and its share of Air India's losses, it said on Nov 13 in an exchange filing after market hours.

SIA began accounting for Air India's financial performance from December 2024, after Vistara, another Indian airline, was merged into Air India. The Indian airline is also reportedly seeking financial aid from SIA after a plane crash that killed 240 people in June 2025.

The airline's revenue rose in the six months to Sept 30 by 1.9 per cent from the year before, reaching a first-half record of $9.7 billion as demand for air travel continued to stay resilient despite challenges from shifting trade policies.

SIA plans to return capital to shareholders via a special dividend package of 10 cents per share annually over the next three financial years. This will amount to about $900 million over the period, reflecting the group's strong financial position, it said.