Rolls-Royce profits boosted by airplane sales

Rolls-Royce reported a 7% increase in first-half profits, which was boosted by increased production at Airbus and Boeing. Pre-tax profit for the aero-engine maker was £637m for the six months to the end of June on revenues 5% higher at £5.8bn. As a result, Rolls-Royce has raised the interim dividend by 10% to 7.6p per share and said it expected to deliver further growth in 2012 in spite of global economic uncertainty. “For the full year, we continue to expect good growth in underlying profit with cash flow around breakeven,” chief executive John Rishton said. “The volatility of the economic