The parent group of Air France pointed to “geopolitical uncertainties” as earnings slid more than anticipated in Q3 amid a trend of slowing passenger demand. Air France-KLM reported a 0.6% fall during the quarter in passenger unit revenue — a key industry metric which measures sales against flight capacity — and said it expected this pattern to continue into the final quarter of the year. The Franco-Dutch airline group missed analyst expectations in the three months to September as it posted a 15% drop in operating profit to E900m. Analysts had expected a figure of E961m, according to estimates compiled by Factset. Net income of E366m was down 53%. “Air France-KLM Group’s performance in the third quarter showed resilience amid geopolitical uncertainties and softening macroeconomic environment,” said Benjamin Smith, CE of the airline group. The group’s cargo transporting segment was knocked by global trade weakness, with unit revenue slipping 13% at constant currency. The rising cost of fuel — a factor hurting airlines globally — continued to weigh on the group, with overall fuel costs expected to be up E600m this year at E5.5b. Despite the difficulties, overall revenues at the group were up 2%. Gerald Khoo, an analyst at Liberum, said the results reflected “a toughening macro environment”.<br/>