Air France KLM has posted an operating profit of €386 million for the second quarter, despite what it referred to as “operational difficulties” in Europe and the US.
Second quarter capacity was at 82 per cent of 2019 levels, and is expected to be between 80-85 per cent in the third quarter, and between 85-90 per cent in the fourth quarter. Low-cost subsidiary Transavia is expected to report full-year capacity above 2019 levels.
The group said that the second quarter result had been driven by “a strong performance of the entire network”, with North Atlantic routes showing “a positive cabin mix” and second quarter new bookings outpacing 2019 levels.
It added that corporate traffic had “ramped up quickly” on South American routes, while Middle East performance “stayed strong” thanks to Dubai, particularly on premium cabins.
KLM in particular has faced challenges in recent months with disruption at its Amsterdam Schiphol hub, with the carrier referring to it as “a very unpleasant situation for both our customers and our employees”, and admitting that “unfortunately we have not yet returned to the standard of service that customers have come to expect from us”.
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Air France KLM’s CEO Benjamin Smith also referred to the challenges facing the aviation industry, stating:
“The strong recovery we see this summer is putting the entire aviation industry to the test. While Air France KLM had prepared for close to pre-pandemic demand levels, our airlines are not immune to the major operational challenges taking place around the world.
“Customer satisfaction is at the top of our priorities and we know we have not fully been able to deliver the quality of service that has come to be expected from us. I would like to thank our customers for their trust and patience.
“I would also like to express my gratitude towards our employees for their unwavering commitment, even in difficult situations. It is thanks to their dedication and sense of collective responsibility that we are able to post better-than-expected revenues and results this quarter.
“Going forward we will continue to implement our strategy in order to further transform our organization. We aim to increase our resilience to the changes of our environment while continuing to accelerate our efforts to make our Group and aviation as a whole more sustainable.”