Air France-KLM shareholders gave the go-ahead for the company's plan to intensify cooperation with Delta Air Lines and China Eastern. The plan involves selling 10 percent of shares to each of the other two airlines, the Telegraaf reports.
The French-Dutch airline group will get a total of over 750 million euros in new capital in the sale of these shares. Delta Air Lines and China Eastern will each get a commissioner seat in exchange for their investment.
KLM transported 6.5 percent more passengers in July compared to the same month last year. In total the Dutch airline had almost 3.1 million passengers aboard its aircrafts last month, according to transport figures published on Tuesday, NU.nl reports.
The available capacity increased by 2.4 percent in the same period. That means that the occupancy rate reached a record high of 91.7 percent. Budget subsidiary Transavia also transported more passengers, an increase of 2.5 percent to 1.7 million people.
Air France-KLM booked a profit of 367 million euros in the last quarter, about nine times higher than the 41 million euros of profit made in the second quarter of 2016. Revenues increased by over 6 percent. The Dutch branch of the airline combination was the driving force behind the profit and revenue increases, NOS reports.
The French-Dutch airline can mainly attribute the growing profits and revenues to a sharp increase in passenger numbers. In April, May and June, 26 million people traveled with Air France-KLM, 7.5 percent more than a year before.
The leaders of Air France-KLM are not happy with KLM works council chairman Jan-Willem van Dijk. According to the them, he repeatedly made "factually wrong" statements in the media about new Air France subsidiary Joon over the past week, Financieele Dagblad reports based on a letter from Jerome Nanty - the highest HR manager at Air-France KLM.
The KLM central works council has concerns about new agreements made on Air France's new budget airline Joon in Paris last week. "We're looking at it with suspicion", Jan-Willem van Dijk, chairman of the KLM works council, said to broadcaster NOS. The council fears that the new agreements are not in the interest of the Dutch branch of Air France-KLM.
Managers of KLM and Air France are deeply suspicious of each other, according to a confidential report drawn up on behalf of French and Dutch unions. At both airlines the managers feel that their colleagues at the other airline are out for only their interests. "The surveyed managers even doubt whether Air France-KLM will be able to survive", Reinier Castelein, president of trade union De Unie, said to EenVandaag on Tuesday.
For the study, the results of which are in the possession of EenVandaag, 50 managers at each airline were questioned.
KLM Group transported nearly 2 million more passengers in the first half of 2017 than in the same period last year. The number of passengers increased by 11 percent to nearly 20 million, NU.nl reports.
The airline group includes KLM Cityhopper, Transavia and Martinair. The airline's capacity grew by 6 percent and the occupancy rate came out at 89.3 percent in June.
The European Commission gave Air France KLM a 310 million euros fine for price fixing and collusion in the air cargo transit market, NOS reports.
The Commission fined eleven airlines a total of nearly 800 million euros for this offense, according to the broadcaster.
Air France-KLM is increasing its offer in the new summer schedule by 3 percent, compared to last year's summer schedule. A record number of 53 destinations will be added, both European and long-haul destinations, the French-Dutch airline group announced on Monday, ANP reports.
The French-Dutch group is increasing its intercontinental destinations by 2 percent and short and mid-length flights by 2.7 percent. As in previous years, budget subsidiary Transavia is increasing its offer the most. The budget airline's capacity is increasing by 10 percent.
Air France-KLM is one of several airlines that may be facing a massive fine from Brussels. The Dutch-French airline is accused of cartel forming in the cargo transit market, ANP reports.
Insiders told the news wire that attempts to negotiate a settlement failed. Which means that fines amounting to millions of euros may be imposed on the involved airlines.
The authorities suspect 11 airlines for making secret agreements between 1999 and 2006 on how they would deal with fuel and security surcharges and how to ensure that no discounts were granted.
French-Dutch airline group Air France-KLM saw a significant increase in profits over 2016. The net profit for the company amounted to 792 million euros last year, compared to 118 million in 2015. The operating result also increased sharply to 1.05 billion euros, NU.nl reports
The company benefited from cost cutting measures and a lower fuel bill. But did suffer from an increasing global pressure on ticket prices.
Discount airlines may soon offer cheap trans-Atlantic flights from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. Budget airline Norwegian plans to start offering long-haul flights from Schiphol by next year, CEO of the airline Bjorn Kjos confirmed to Luchtvaartnieuws.nl.
In December Air France-KLM again transported significantly more passengers than in December 2015, an upward trend that can be seen across several months. As in previous months, the increase was visible in all parts of the airline group, AD reports.
Air France-KLM transported a total of 7.2 million passengers in December, 7.6 percent more than the same month in 2015. Air France saw a 3 percent increase, KLM saw 8 percent more. Transavia's passengers increased by more than a third to 800 thousand.
Air France-KLM is setting up a new subsidiary to compete with companies from particularly the Gulf countries. According to the French-Dutch airline, companies such as Emirates are able to work at laower costs in markets where Air France-KLM want to grow, NU.nl reports.
KLM's independence will not be compromised by the new strategy for Air France-KLM that CEO Jean-Marc Janaillac is presenting early next month, Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem of Finance assured parliament after several dais of intensive discussions with the CEO, NOS reports.
Behind the scenes KLM is transferring flights from Amsterdam to Paris as a result of a power struggle within Air France-KLM, the Telegraaf reports based on "multiple sources". This transfer of flights is resulting in job losses in the Netherlands, according to the newspaper.
Striking cabin crew at Air France cost the Air France-KLM group a massive 90 million euros in damages. The airline group was kept afloat by an increase in passengers, especially thanks to Dutch subsidiary Transavia
Like for many of its competitors, the second quarter was somewhat hard on Air France-KLM. The French-Dutch airline saw its turnover drop by 5 percent, though still managed to get a profit below the line. Continuing strong competition and the threat of terrorism was the main pressure points for the airline group's income, they group announced on Wednesday
There was never a plan to move flights from KLM to Air France in an effort to restore balance between the two sister companies, CEO Alexandre de Juniac said to the Financieele Dagblad.
Both the French and Dutch government agree that Air France and KLM should not pass their problems to the other, Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem of Finance said to the Council of Ministers on Friday. Dijsselbloem spoke to his French counterpart on Thursday and he agrees that "the problems of one company can not be solved by beating a hole in the other", the Dutch minister said
Air France-KLM may give in to the French pilots' demand that the capacity growth within the airline cooperation be shared "more evenly", ANP reports. This would be detrimental to KLM, which is currently growing while Air France is shrinking, but new CEO Jean-Marc Janaillac is prepared to consider the demand.
KLM CEO Pieter Elbers is concerned that the strike Air France pilots have planned for Saturday, one day after the start of the European Championships in France, will lead to reputation damage that will also effect the Dutch airline. In a message to the KLM staff, he called it a "destructive strike"
Air France-KLM's new CEO Jeam-Marc Janaillac is taking over the French-Dutch airlines on somewhat improved results compared to last year. In the first quarter of 2016 the airlines managed to further stem losses, though they still ended the quarter in the red
Alexandre de Juniac is stepping down as CEO Air France-KLM this summer. As of June 1st he will be working as chairman of the international trade association for airlines IATA, the Dutch-French airline group announced on Tuesday.
