Britain's SSP posts higher revenue, flags hit from Boeing 737 MAX grounding

(Reuters) - British travel-food company SSP Group Plc posted higher quarterly revenue on Friday, but said some of its operations in North America were hit by flight cancellations following the grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft.

The company, which operates restaurants and bars in airports and railway stations, also affirmed its full-year expectations of a 2% rise in like-for-like sales.

Total group revenue rose 9.2%, excluding the impact of currency fluctuations, for the three months ended June 30, helped by stronger like-for-like sales growth at airports in the UK. The company said despite the hit from the MAX grounding, it saw an overall increase in passengers in North America.

Like-for-like sales growth in the rest of the world was mixed, with good performances in Egypt and the Middle East slightly offset by the shutdown of operations at Jet Airways in India and slower growth in China.

Disruptions from the prolonged grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX passenger jets after two deadly crashes has hurt airlines around the world.

(Reporting by Tanishaa Nadkar in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)