Air France-KLM has achieved significantly higher profits in recent months compared to the same quarter last year. The group experienced increased revenue and lower fuel costs. The company transported over 27 million passengers, also more than last year.
Revenue rose to over 8.4 billion euros, Air France-KLM writes in a press release on Thursday. This increase is partly due to the large number of passengers: KLM transported 6 percent more than last year. In addition, more people chose to buy a more expensive airline ticket for greater comfort during their flight.
The airline simultaneously benefited from energy prices, which were relatively low in recent months compared to last year. This was mainly due to the falling oil price: on an annual basis, this made a difference of over 200 million euros.
Furthermore, the group felt the negative impact of the Olympic Games last year, which no longer plays a role. Travelers seemed to avoid Paris during the major event, and the airline saw fewer summer bookings.
The Dutch KLM performed somewhat worse and recorded lower profits. This was due, among other things, to the NATO summit in The Hague last June, the airline reports. Some flights via Schiphol could not proceed that month. Furthermore, seven KLM aircraft had to remain grounded for maintenance in May.
In addition, Schiphol’s high port charges played a role. The rate that the airport charges airlines to use the airport increased by 41 percent in April. According to Schiphol, this was due to higher costs for personnel, interest rates, and smaller passenger numbers. But these extra costs are detrimental to KLM. Air-France KLM CEO Ben Smith previously called the increase “ridiculous”.