New Delhi, April 8 -- Delta Air Lines Inc. shares climbed more than 11% in early session on Wednesday amid a broad rally for travel equities, even as the company issued a lower-than-anticipated profit forecast for the second quarter.

The Atlanta-based carrier anticipates more than $2 billion in additional fuel expenditures through June due to the ongoing Iran conflict, leading management to adopt a cautious stance and maintain its existing full year earnings target.

"We're not updating it in light of the uncertainty, so I think it'd be imprudent to make any estimate at this point," Delta Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said.

Fuel prices have surged as the Middle East crisis disrupts energy markets, inflating operational costs for ca...