Sydney, Aug 23 (AP/UNB) - Qantas Airways Ltd. has reported a 245 million Australian dollar ($257 million) annual loss in profits. The Australian airline says it has been hurt by rising fuel prices, a series of strikes that temporarily grounded its fleet and its struggling international division.

Qantas said Thursday that the net loss for the 12 months through June 30 compares with a profit of AU$250 million last year.

CEO Alan Joyce said Qantas would be canceling its order for a new fleet of 35 Boeing 787 aircraft.

Qantas blamed the annual loss on an 18 percent spike in its fuel bill, an industrial dispute that the airline said cost AU$194 million, and its struggling international business, which lost AU$450 million.