Japan Airlines posted a group net loss for the second year in a row due to the prolonged coronavirus pandemic. But it says it expects to return to the black in the current business year as passenger demand recovers.

JAL says its net loss was 177 billion yen, or 1.3 billion dollars, in the fiscal year ended in March. Sales made a comeback in the period, jumping more than 40 percent from the previous year.

The company forecasts a net profit of 345 million dollars for the current fiscal year, as it sees demand for domestic flights recovering to about 90 percent of the pre-pandemic level in 2019. It expects the figure to reach around 45 percent for international flights.

Rival airline operator ANA Holdings also expects to be in the black in fiscal 2022. It forecasts a group net profit of about 160 million dollars.