(Feb 20): Singapore Airlines' (SIA) on Thursday reported its net profit more than doubled in the third quarter, helped by a one-time gain from the Air India-Vistara merger.

The airline, which owned about 49% of Indian carrier Vistara, completed a merger of Air India and Vistara last November, in a bid to create a dominant full-service airline for the domestic and international markets.

The deal granted SIA a 25.1% stake in the Air India group, while autos-to-steel conglomerate Tata holds 74.9% of the combined entity.

SIA gained from a one-off S$1.1 billion gain from the merger of the two Indian carriers, boosting its bottom line, it said in a statement.

The city-state's flag carrier posted a net profit of S$1.63 billion (US$1.22 billion) for the three months ended Dec 31, compared with S$659 million a year ago.

Uploaded by Lam Seng Fatt