Airlines

Air France-Klm, fuel costs will increase by 2.4 billion in 2026

The effect of high utility bills is not yet evident in the quarterly results, which closed with a net loss of EUR 252 million.

by Mara Monti

30 April 2026

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Air France increases tickets by 50 euros

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The French-Dutch airline Air France-Klm forecasts a fuel cost of $9.3 billion for 2026 with a$2.4 billion growth over 2026.

The increase in jet fuel is not yet visible in the first quarter results, but the company estimates that it will be USD 1.1 billion in the second quarter.

"Although fuel price increases are not yet reflected in the results we present today, they are expected to weigh on the coming quarters," Air France-Klm CEO Ben Smith said in a statement.

In detail, the first three months of the year reported a lower-than-expected operating loss of EUR 27 million, an improvement of EUR 301 million compared to the same quarter last year, taking into account the absence of the effect of increased fuel costs, and a net loss of EUR 252 million.

The company stated that its group-wide capacity will increase by 2-4% this year compared to 2025.

Previously, an increase of 3-5% was expected.

Passengers carried in the quarter at group level totalled 22,302, an increase of 2.3% or a turnover of EUR 7.5 billion (+8.3%).

Supporting the results was the strong growth in long-haul traffic: North America performed strongly, as expected after the publication of the US airlines' results, but this was only the third highest growth: Asia and the Middle East got a strong boost from the closure of the Gulf airspace by increasing the demand for flights to Asia.

This prompted the carrier to increase capacity to meet the strong demand. Latin America and the Caribbean also grew. Yields increased everywhere for network airlines, with only Transavia experiencing a decline.

The group's fuel hedging strategy is still in place and the airline stated that it has already hedged 33% of costs for 2027.

Demand for summer travel remains strong, with European destinations such as Italy and Spain now more popular due to reduced travel to the Middle East.

KLM announced on 16 April that it will operate 80 fewer return flights to and from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the coming month due to rising paraffin costs.