KLM passenger increase hides Fall at sister company Air France

KLM boosted its passenger tally 6.4% last year, ensuring that parent Air France-KLM Group also posted a gain despite slumping numbers at sister company Air France, where strikes and a spate of terrorist attacks crimped traffic. KLM added 1.8m more customers in 2016, for a total of 30.4m, while Air France saw its figure slip by 691,000, or 1.4%, to 49.8m, including the Hop! regional business. Alexandre de Juniac stood down as Air France-KLM chief in July after failing to force through cost cuts at the French arm in the face of employee opposition. Union hostility has prompted a series of walkouts. Successor Jean-Marc Janaillac has said he’ll take a more conciliatory approach and is shaking up senior management as he seeks to fend off the challenge of discount carriers in Europe and Persian Gulf operators on long-haul routes. <br/>