Business travel payment and settlement solutions firm AirPlus saw 2011 profits rise by €5 million to €30.5 million as customer numbers increased from 35,000 to 38,000.
Settlement volumes for products issued by AirPlus surpassed the €10 billion mark for the first time, an increase of around 17% over 2010.
Operational sales revenues increased from €269 million to €284 million in 2011.
Patrick Diemer, managing director of Airplus, said: “Despite uncertain economic conditions the international business travel markets experienced stable growth last year and employees travelled more than ever before.
“On a global scale, the business flight volume in 2011 was 6% higher than in the previous year, and our corporate customers spent 18% more money on business travel in total than in 2010.”
The company’s growth was further supported by attracting new customers in the Asia-Pacific region, prompting the company to open a service hub in Singapore.
More than half of companies (54%) surveyed in an AirPlus travel management study expect travel volumes to remain stable in 2012.
“These figures are proof of the confidence most businesses have that travelling is relevant to their development, especially in view of the ongoing crisis in the euro zone,” said Diemer.
“The answers promote the assumption that the business sector has recognised the need to invest in travelling even in bad times to tap new business opportunities in a broader market.”
At the same time more travel managers believe that travel expenses will increase significantly even though travel volumes remain stable.
“In this tense situation it is our utmost priority to provide companies with global solutions for effective cost management to help them make use of the positive impact of business travel on their success,” Diemer said.