Air France-KLM posts record profit in 2025

PARIS

Air France-KLM posted Thursday a full-year net profit of 1.75 billion euros ($2.1 billion), a record for the airline as it focused on premium offerings and benefitted from lower fuel prices.

Revenues for the Franco-Dutch carrier rose 4.9 percent to 33 billion euros, also a record, in what it called a "challenging environment", with passenger numbers up five percent to 102.8 million people.

The profit jump was a fivefold increase from 2024, when many tourists avoided the French capital during the peak tourism season because of the Olympic Games, and a strong dollar eroded its euro earnings.

"We advanced our premiumisation strategy through enhanced customer experiences across our airlines -- including new cabins, high-speed Wi-Fi, and lounges around the world," chief executive Benjamin Smith said in a statement.

Operating margins, a key measure of profitability, rose by one percentage point to 6.1 percent, and the company forecast the margin rising to eight percent over the next three years, to 2028.

But the company's net debt rose by roughly one billion euros last year, to 8.4 billion, and the airline made no mention of a dividend payout, which it has not paid since 2008.