(Reuters) - Australia's flag carrier Qantas Airways ( QUBSF ) declared its first dividend in more than five years and reported an 11.2% increase in its first-half underlying profit on Thursday.

The airline declared an interim dividend of 16.5 Australian cents per share, resuming distribution payouts for the first time since the COVID-era. It last paid a final dividend of 13 Australian cents in September 2019.

The company reported an underlying profit before tax of A$1.39 billion ($875.42 million) for the six months ended December 31, compared with A$1.25 billion a year earlier. That beat with the Visible Alpha consensus of A$1.37 billion.

($1 = 1.5878 Australian dollars) (This story has been refiled to correct the reporting credit)