Air France-KLM Post Record Profits, Revenue Despite Tough End To 2023

Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Feb, 2024) Air France-KLM announced Thursday a record net profit of 934 million Euros ($1.01 billion) for 2023, despite a tough end to the year marked by operational difficulties and the war in the middle East.

The Franco-Dutch airline group also reported record revenue of 30 billion euros, while adding that it had returned to positive equity for the first time since 2019.

Its profit result was a little below analysts' expectations of more than a billion euros, according to forecasts compiled by Factset and Bloomberg.

The results, however, contrast with the nightmare of the pandemic years, which saw the group lose a cumulative 10.4 billion euros in 2020 and 2021, forcing it to carry out two recapitalisations and request help from the French and Dutch governments.

In a statement, the group also announced a solid operating margin of 5.

7 percent for 2023, up 1.2 points on the previous year, which had seen it return to profit.

"In 2023, we delivered on our commitment to strong operational and financial performance," group CEO Benjamin Smith said in the results statement.

The record results were achieved despite passenger numbers not yet returning to pre-Covid levels.

Air France, KLM and subsidiary Transavia transported a total of 93.6 million passengers last year, up 10.3 million on 2022 but still 10.4 million fewer than in 2019.

At the same time, Air France-KLM continued to deleverage, with its net debt falling from 6.33 billion euros at the end of 2022 to 5.04 billion at the end of 2023.

The group also saw its net debt-to-gross operating margin (EBITDA) ratio improve to 1.2 times, down from 1.8 times the previous year, which should make refinancing easier.