Helloworld issues FY27 Underlying EBITDA guidance of $78m-$84m
Helloworld Travel (ASX: HLO) has issued FY27 guidance, expecting Underlying EBITDA of $78m-$84m for the full financial year. This compares to an Underlying EBITDA of $60.2 million for FY26.
The company expects Total Transaction Value (TTV), including Crown Currency Exchange (“CCE”), to be circa $4.8 billion. The guidance includes a contribution of $14 million from CCE.
Guidance basis
HLO’s FY27 guidance is based on unaudited results to the end of September, forward booking numbers through to 30 June 2027 and the forthcoming acquisition of CCE on 30 October.
The announcement gives investors a defined earnings range to measure FY27 performance against.
| Metric | FY26 | FY27 guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Underlying EBITDA | $60.2 million | $78m-$84m (including $14m from CCE) |
| TTV | Not disclosed in announcement | circa $4.8 billion (including CCE) |
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First-quarter FY27 trading holds steady despite headwinds
Q1 FY27 results line ball with prior period
HLO’s most recent unaudited results for the three months to the end of September show TTV and Underlying EBITDA were “line ball” with the prior corresponding period.
The company said it continued to trade positively in both Australia and New Zealand across the first quarter of FY27, despite the conflict in the Middle East and the cost of aviation fuel.
Cancelled flights refunded, bookings rebooked
As anticipated in its June trading update, Helloworld refunded significant sums to consumers via its key agency networks for cancelled flights and other travel arrangements. The announcement does not quantify the amounts refunded.
The refunds flagged in the June trading update followed Middle Eastern carrier flights from Australia falling from about 150 per week to nil in March, a capacity shock that pushed Q4 air sales below the prior year and forced the FY26 guidance revision.
The majority of these cancellations resulted in new bookings across the remainder of calendar 2026. That points to customers rebooking rather than leaving the network.
Forward bookings and premium demand support the outlook
Forward bookings for the remainder of FY27 are showing stable early momentum, with growth of circa 10%. The announcement does not specify what this growth is measured against.
The company pointed to several demand signals:
- Leisure travel demand from HLO’s key demographic subsets to all major global destinations is holding up.
- 52% of HLO’s international air ticket sales in the September quarter were for premium class air travel.
- Premium flights are often booked aside higher value accommodation, touring and cruise bookings.
What is TTV, and why does it matter to HLO investors?
Total Transaction Value is the total value of travel bookings made through a distribution network. It is not the company’s own revenue.
Underlying EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, adjusted for one-off items. It is the profit measure HLO has used for its guidance.
Read together, TTV shows the volume of bookings flowing through the network, while Underlying EBITDA shows how much of that activity converts to profit.
CCE acquisition and upcoming dates
HLO’s acquisition of the Crown Currency Exchange business is forthcoming on 30 October. The announcement does not disclose a price.
CCE is expected to contribute $14 million of Underlying EBITDA in FY27, a meaningful portion of the $78m-$84m guidance range.
Key dates:
- 23 October 2026: Annual General Meeting, Melbourne, 10.00am
- 30 October 2026: CCE acquisition
HLO’s networks comprise 1400+ bricks and mortar outlets and over 700 home based travel brokers, with over 10,000 agents working across Australia and New Zealand.
For readers wanting to understand the deal structure in more depth, our full explainer on the CCE acquisition walks through the $135 million price, the 6.1x earnings multiple, the NAB loan and vendor funding mix, and the plan to roll currency exchange across HLO’s agent network.
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