(Reuters) – Southwest Airlines (NYSE) Co reported a lower adjusted quarterly loss Thursday. It said that it expected to be “solidly profitable” for 2012 due to a rebound of travel which helped to offset January disruptions caused by the Omicron coronavirus.

An adjusted loss was $191 million or 32 cents per share in the company’s first quarter. This compares to an adjusted loss $1.72 per share or $1.0 billion a year ago.

According to the airline, more than 5600 flights were cancelled in January. It also stated that 5,000 workers, which is roughly 10%, contracted coronavirus during the first three weeks.

Bob Jordan, chief executive officer stated, “Our operational performance has improved over February 2022 and March 2022 due to acute staffing difficulties experienced in January because of the Omicron variation.”

Southwest Airlines in Texas said that, despite headwinds of $430 millions, which included about $380 million due to fall bookings and cancellations, it was positive about the strong rebound in revenue in March.

Last quarter, major U.S. airlines said that revenue for the current quarter will surpass levels pre-pandemic even though they have a lower capacity than 2019.

Travel demand has risen dramatically, helping to offset rising fuel costs. These have more than doubled since last year. The conflict in Ukraine has caused higher fuel prices for U.S. airlines. They don’t usually hedge against oil price fluctuations.

Southwest Airlines claims that its fuel hedging program, which spans over a decade, has allowed it to offset the rises in jet fuel prices in the first quarter.

From $2.05 billion last year, the airline saw its operating revenue rise to $4.7 Billion. It said that it expects operating revenue to grow between 8 and 12 percent in 2019, compared to 2019.