Air France KLM shares rebound as higher load factor helps offset weaker traffic figures

Air France KLM shares rose sharply Friday, recovering from six previous days of losses, as traders and fund managers said that an increase in its load factor had helped offset overall weak traffic figures for April. Air France KLM shares were up 6.3% at E7.52 in late-session trading, although the stock remains down by around 45% since the start of 2018. Earlier Friday, the airline had said traffic had fallen 2.6% in April, blaming a wave of strikes over pay conditions at the French brand that last week forced the CE of the Franco-Dutch group to resign. Nevertheless, the company added that its load factor had progressed by 0.4 percentage points. “The load factor has still managed to increase. It shows that the company is able to re-adjust its offer to the changing demands,” said a Geneva-based fund manager.<br/>