Japan Airlines Co. on Tuesday reported a smaller net loss of ¥57.92 billion ($531 million) for the April to June quarter compared with a year earlier, with demand for air travel having been recovering from a slump caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cost-cutting efforts also helped the major Japanese airline limit red ink, having reported the year earlier a quarterly net loss of ¥93.71 billion — the firm's largest since its 2012 relisting. Sales grew 74.1% from the previous year to ¥133.03 billion.

JAL did not release earnings forecasts again for fiscal 2021, saying it was difficult to make projections amid the pandemic.