PARIS: Air France-KLM on Friday said traffic had fallen 2.6 percent in April and blamed a wave of strikes over pay conditions at the French brand, that last week forced the chief-executive of the Franco-Dutch group to resign.
Air France needs to cut costs to keep up with leaner rivals in Europe, including its sister company KLM, but it has come up against strong resistance from unions representing its pilots, cabin crews and ground staff.
Air France employees’ reluctance to back reforms and the ensuing management fall-out inside the airline has left some aviation analysts asking how long the alliance may last.
KLM passenger numbers rose by 5.2 percent year-on-year in April, while Air France’s dropped 8.7 percent, reflecting the diverging fortunes of the two brands. Overall, the group carried 8.2 million passengers, down 2.5 percent from a year ago.
Jean-Marc Janaillac said last Friday that he was resigning as CEO after staff rejected a pay deal that he had put to a vote after talks with the unions reached a deadlock.
Air France-KLM’s board is due to meet next week to appoint an interim transition team to succeed Janaillac, who lasted less than two years in the job.
Air France-KLM suffers fall in April traffic numbers, blames French strikes
Air France-KLM suffers fall in April traffic numbers, blames French strikes
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 11,183
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Monday, losing 44.79 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 11,183.85.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.05 billion ($1.08 billion), as 69 of the listed stocks advanced, while 191 retreated.
The MSCI Tadawul Index decreased, down 6.63 points or 0.44 percent, to close at 1,504.73.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 328.20 points, or 1.36 percent, to close at 23,764.92. This comes as 22 of the listed stocks advanced, while 49 retreated.
The best-performing stock was Maharah Human Resources Co., with its share price surging by 7.26 percent to SR6.50.
Other top performers included Arabian Cement Co., which saw its share price rise by 6.27 percent to SR22.71, and Saudi Research and Media Group, which saw a 4.3 percent increase to SR104.30.
On the downside, the worst performer of the day was Arabian Internet and Communications Services Co., whose share price fell by 8.01 percent to SR207.80.
Jahez International Co. for Information System Technology and Al-Rajhi Co. for Cooperative Insurance also saw declines, with their shares dropping by 5.61 percent and 4.46 percent to SR12.79 and SR75, respectively.
On the announcement front, Etihad Etisalat Co. announced its financial results for 2025 with a 7.9 percent year-on-year growth in its revenues, to reach SR19.6 billion.
In a Tadawul statement, Mobily said that this growth is attributed to “the expansion of all revenue streams, with a healthy growth in the overall subscriber base.”
Mobily delivered an 11.6 percent increase in net profit, reaching SR3.4 billion in 2025 compared to SR3.1 billion in 2024.
The company’s share price reached SR67.85, marking a 0.37 percent increase on the main market.
