The net profit of Air France-KLM, Europe's largest airline, more than tripled in the July-September quarter, boosted by the sale of its stake in the Amadeus ticket reservation system, AP quoted sources of the company as saying Wednesday. Formed in a merger last year between Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the carrier posted net profit of ¤717 million (US$839 million), or ¤2.73 (US$3.19) per share, for the fiscal second quarter, up from ¤195 million, or ¤0.76 per share, in the same period last year. Revenue rose 10.2 percent to ¤5.64 billion (US$6.59 billion) from ¤5.12 billion. The net result was boosted by a one-off gain of ¤419 million (US$490 million) from the sale of Air France-KLM's stake in booking system Amadeus, the airline said. The pretax gain was ¤504 million (US$590 million). Operating profit, which also excludes the Amadeus proceeds, rose 56 percent to ¤528 million (US$618 million) from ¤339 million despite a 29 percent increase in fuel costs due to high oil prices. Passenger traffic increased 9 percent. "The Air France-KLM merger is demonstrating more and more that it is a big success," said Air France-KLM Chairman and CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta. --more 1222 Local Time 0922 GMT
