"We had expected that rising costs would weaken profitability in 2019. But the sharp fall in oil prices and solid GDP growth projections have provided a buffer. So we are cautiously optimistic that the run of solid value creation for investors will continue for at least another year," de Juniac said in a media briefing on the airline business for 2019 in Geneva on Wednesday.  

    But, he warned that economic and political developments, such as the US-China trade war and Britain's plan to leave the European Union, remain as challenges for the growth of airlines.

    Next year, Korean Air will host the annual IATA conference in Seoul on June 1-3, with 290 executives of airlines and aircraft manufacturers from 120 countries scheduled to take part, the statement said. (Yonhap)