Air France-KLM third-quarter 2026 net profit, Digi Mart USA News: The Franco-Dutch air transport group Air France-KLM announced on Thursday, November 5, a net profit up 22% for the third quarter, the peak season, driven by an increase in revenue per passenger. The profit reached 938 million euros.
Over the first nine months of the year, however, net profit fell 25% to 877 million euros. Amid high fuel costs, the group also announced in a statement a set of new savings measures for its KLM unit (KLM and Transavia Netherlands), which is less profitable than Air France (Air France and Transavia France).
These measures include a revision of collective agreements aimed at “strict control of payroll changes,” the reorganization of “certain ground operations, cargo and maintenance activities,” sometimes through outsourcing and sometimes through reintegration, and the end of operating the “oldest” aircraft, which consume the most jet fuel.
Chief Executive Benjamin Smith described “a resilient third quarter.” “Demand in our key strategic markets, combined with strong commercial discipline, led to higher unit revenues, while continued cost control, together with well-managed fuel costs, kept unit costs broadly stable,” he said.
Revenue rose 8% during the quarter to 9.916 billion euros. At constant exchange rates, the increase was even stronger, at 12%.
The group said that “strong unit revenues fully offset the impact of higher fuel prices, in a context of crisis in the Middle East. Furthermore, rigorous cost control limited the rise in unit costs to just +0.1%.”
Air France-KLM said it had locked in the price of 54% of the fuel it expects to consume in 2027 through hedging contracts, compared with 68% for 2026. It also raised its estimate of its 2026 fuel bill to 9.2 billion dollars, 300 million dollars more than its previous forecast.
