Reporting its 2012 earnings on Wednesday, Airbus parent company European Aeronautic Defense & Space (EADS) said that its net profit last year witnessed a 19 percent increase year-on-year, thanks largely to sales of commercial jets and helicopters.

Despite the fact that EADS' military business continued to struggle in 2012 because of budget pressures squeezing the US and European defense expenditure, the company said that its earnings for the full year increased to _1.2 billion ($1.56 billion) in 2012 from slightly more than _1 billion in 2011.

With the EADS revenue figures for 2012 having witnessed a 15 percent increase to _56.5 billion, the company proposed a rise in its 2012 dividend to 60 euro cents a share from 45 cents a share in 2011.

Nearly all of the revenue gains reported by EADS came from double-digit growth that it witnessed in the sales of civilian aircraft; even though the military orders had virtually stalled. With Airbus increasing its commercial jet sales 19 percent during the year, it accounted for approximately 68 percent of the total EADS group revenue.

Meanwhile, about the EADS' military business continuing to remain persistently weak, especially at a time when the group is steeped in a fundamental review of its business strategy, EADS CEO Thomas Enders said at a recent briefing in Berlin: "Right now, I am quite happy with the imbalance we have. We are under less pressure than other, pure defense companies."