British Airways parent group IAG said Friday that third-quarter net profit soared on the back of solid demand for summer holidays. Profit after taxation surged 44 percent to 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in the three months to September from a year earlier, it said in a results statement. IAG, which also owns Spanish airlines Iberia and Vueling, added that revenues swelled by almost a fifth to 8.7 billion euros. Pretax profit meanwhile leapt 56 percent to 1.6 billion euros, while flight capacity gained almost 18 percent. “This quarter represents a record third-quarter performance for IAG. This is allowing us to invest in the business and reduce a significant amount of our debt,” said chief executive Luis Gallego. “During the third quarter we saw sustained strong demand across all our routes, in particular the North and South Atlantic and in all leisure destinations around Europe. “We continue to develop our hubs of Barcelona, Dublin, London and Madrid, supported by our fleet deliveries and future orders.”