Air France Wednesday said it would only carry out three in four planned flights on Thursday and warned of travel delays and disruptions after worker unions called a strike over pay. Only half of the long-haul flights leaving Paris Thursday would be going ahead, according to the airline’s forecast, which said it would cover 75% of middle distance flights to and from the city’s Charles de Gaulle airport. Disruptions to short flights would be less onerous, though the airline forecast it would cover only 85% of those. In all, the strikes would hit a quarter all Air France flights. “Disruptions and delays cannot be excluded,” Air France added. Worker unions representing Air France pilots, cabin crew and ground staff called the strike amid demands for a 6% pay rise, which the airline has refused to meet.<br/>
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Grupo Aeromexico reported a MXP18m (US$914,000) net profit for 2017, down 98.4% from MXP1.1b net income in 2016. While economic growth in Mexico remained stable in 2017, as the country’s GDP increased 2.3%, the peso appreciated 4.7% year-over-year relative to the US dollar and annual inflation hit 6.8%, the country’s highest rate in 17 years. The rise in inflation put pressure on peso cost line items, the company said. Increasing fuel prices took a toll as well, rising 34%, as peso-dominated fuel prices increased 16.3% YOY during the fourth quarter. Aeromexico’s full-year revenue increased 14% to MXP61.5b, reflecting a rise in passenger, cargo and ancillary revenue but partially offset by a drop-off in charter revenue. The airline incorporated three Boeing 787-9s into its fleet during the year, which contributed toward a 29.3% rise in air cargo revenue, as well as a 14.1% increase in international passenger revenue. Aeromexico’s total capacity grew 14.6%% during the year to 48.9b ASKs, as the airline continued to upgauge its fleet not only with new 787-9s but also with the addition of four 737-800s and nine Embraer E190s. Three 737-700s and 15 ERJ145s were redelivered during the year, creating a net reduction of two aircraft in Grupo Aeromexico’s total fleet of 131 aircraft, as of Dec. 31, 2017. The group added five leased-in aircraft during the fourth quarter—two 737-800s and three E190s. One of the new 787-9s, under a finance lease agreement, was introduced during Q4 as well.<br/>