Air France–KLM facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Traded as |
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| ISIN | ISIN: [https://isin.toolforge.org/?language=en&isin=FR001400J770 FR001400J770] |
| Industry | Aviation |
| Predecessor | |
| Founded | 5 May 2004 |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
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Key people
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| Revenue |  €30.019 billion (2023) |
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Operating income
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€1.712 billion (2023) |
| €990 million (2023) |
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| Total assets | €34.490 billion (2023) |
| Owners |
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Number of employees
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77,806 (2023) |
| Subsidiaries |
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Air France–KLM S.A. is a big French-Dutch company that owns several airlines. It's also known as the Air France–KLM Group. Its main office is in Paris, France.
The group's three main airline brands are Air France, KLM, and Transavia. Air France–KLM was formed in 2004 when Air France and KLM joined together. Both Air France and KLM are part of the SkyTeam airline alliance, which is a group of airlines that work together.
The main airports where the group's airlines operate are Paris–Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris Orly Airport, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. In 2022, Air France–KLM airlines carried 83 million passengers!
Contents
History of Air France–KLM
How Air France–KLM Started
Air France–KLM was created on May 5, 2004. This happened when Air France (from France) and KLM (from the Netherlands) decided to merge. After the merger, the French government's share in the company became smaller.
When they merged in 2004, Air France and KLM together flew to 225 places around the world. In the year before the merger, the two companies carried 66.3 million passengers.
In October 2005, the cargo (freight) parts of Air France and KLM joined their business activities. This means they started working together to transport goods by air.
Air France–KLM was interested in buying a part of the Italian airline Alitalia. In January 2009, Air France–KLM bought a 25% share in the new Alitalia company.
In 2008, Air France–KLM was the largest airline company in the world based on how much money it made from its operations. It was also the largest in terms of how many international passenger-kilometres it flew.
Years of Stability (2010–2019)
In February 2011, Air France–KLM and Delta Air Lines looked into buying Virgin Atlantic.
In August 2011, Air France–KLM was named one of the top 10 safest airlines in the world.
In December 2013, Air France–KLM sold its smaller airline, CityJet.
The company saw higher earnings in 2017. This was because their planes were used more often and the company was growing faster. However, they faced challenges like rising fuel prices and competition from other airlines.
In May 2018, the CEO of Air France–KLM, Jean-Marc Janaillac, resigned. This happened after employees did not agree to a new pay plan. On September 30, 2018, Benjamin Smith became the new CEO.
In February 2019, the Dutch government announced that it had bought 12.68% of Air France–KLM shares. They planned to increase their ownership to about 14%.
Recent Developments (2022–2025)
In May 2022, Air France–KLM started a partnership with CMA CGM, a shipping company. They planned to work together to grow their air cargo business. As part of this deal, CMA CGM bought a 9% share in Air France–KLM. However, this partnership ended in January 2024.
In October 2023, Air France–KLM, the Danish government, and two investment companies announced plans to invest in SAS Group, which owns Scandinavian Airlines. This was part of SAS's plan to reorganize its business. Air France–KLM took a 19.9% share.
In March 2024, the plan for SAS to reorganize was approved. This meant SAS left the Star Alliance on August 31, 2024, and joined the SkyTeam alliance on September 1, 2024.
On July 4, 2025, Air France–KLM announced that it plans to increase its ownership in SAS from 19.9% to 60.5%. This would make SAS a part of the Air France–KLM Group. The Danish Ministry of Finance will still own about 26% of SAS.
How the Company Works
Business Trends
In May 2010, Air France–KLM reported that it had lost money. They also said that a volcanic eruption in Iceland in 2010 caused them to lose even more money. Air France–KLM is one of the biggest airline companies in Europe.
Most of the company is owned by private shareholders (81.4%). The French government owns 15.9% of the company.
In June 2008, Air France–KLM agreed to pay $350 million to settle charges about fixing cargo prices. This was part of an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. In November 2010, the European Commission also fined Air France–KLM €310 million for another price-fixing investigation.
A large part of the company's money goes to paying its staff. To save money, the company decided to freeze new hiring. This led to about 2,000 job cuts in 2012.
In February 2014, Air France–KLM invested $100 million in the Brazilian airline Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes.
In 2015, Air France faced a difficult time, including a pilot's strike. This led to job cuts at Air France and changes for KLM's cargo business.
Since November 2024, Air France–KLM has been talking about buying a 20% share in Air Europa. This deal is expected to be worth more than €100 million.
Who Owns Air France–KLM
As of December 2024, here's how the ownership of the Air France–KLM Group looks:
| Shareholder | Interest |
|---|---|
| French State | 27.98% |
| Dutch State | 9.13% |
| CMA CGM | 8.80% |
| China Eastern Airlines | 4.58% |
| Delta Air Lines | 2.79% |
| Employees (FCPE) | 3.08% |
| Air France - KLM Pilot Shares Foundation | 0.85% |
| Other investors | 42.74% |
Head Office
The main office of Air France–KLM is located at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Tremblay-en-France, near Paris. The office building is very large, covering 130,000 square meters. It was finished in December 1995.
Aircraft Fleet
As of November 2024, the Air France–KLM Group uses many different types of airplanes for its passenger flights:
| Aircraft | In service | Orders |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A220-300 | 39 | 21 |
| Airbus A318-100 | 6 | — |
| Airbus A319-100 | 10 | — |
| Airbus A320-200 | 36 | — |
| Airbus A320neo | 8 | 84 |
| Airbus A321neo | 8 | |
| Airbus A321-100 | 4 | — |
| Airbus A321-200 | 11 | — |
| Airbus A330-200 | 17 | — |
| Airbus A330-300 | 5 | — |
| Airbus A350-900 | 35 | 44 |
| Airbus A350-1000 | — | |
| Boeing 737-700 | 9 | — |
| Boeing 737-800 | 139 | — |
| Boeing 737-900 | 5 | — |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 33 | — |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 59 | — |
| Boeing 787-9 | 23 | — |
| Boeing 787-10 | 10 | 5 |
| Embraer 170 | 13 | — |
| Embraer 175 | 17 | — |
| Embraer 190 | 51 | — |
| Embraer 195-E2 | 18 | 7 |
| Total | 561 | 161 |
Subsidiary Airlines
Airlines Fully Owned by Air France–KLM
These are the airlines and companies that Air France–KLM completely owns:
- Air France
- Air France Cargo (for carrying goods)
- Air France Hop (a regional airline)
- Transavia France (a low-cost airline)
- Air France Industries (for aircraft maintenance)
- KLM
- KLM Cargo (for carrying goods)
- KLM Cityhopper (a regional airline)
- KLM Asia
- Martinair (a cargo airline)
- Transavia (a low-cost airline)
- KLM Engineering and Maintenance (KLM E&M) – for aircraft maintenance
Until January 2017, Air France–KLM also owned Cobalt Ground Solutions, a company that helps with ground services at London Heathrow Airport.
The group also owns Cygnific, which is a large customer service center for Air France–KLM, KLM, Air France, and Delta Air Lines.
Air France–KLM owns a part of these airlines, but not the whole company:
- Air Calédonie (2.1%)
- Air Corsica (11.95%)
- Air Côte d’Ivoire (20%)
- Air Mauritius (2.78%)
- Air Tahiti (7.48%)
- Kenya Airways (7.95%)
- Gol Transportes Aéreos (1.19%)
- Royal Air Maroc (1.25%)
- Scandinavian Airlines (19.9%)
Past Subsidiaries
Some companies that used to be part of Air France–KLM include:
- Cityjet: This company was sold.
- Joon: This airline was merged back into Air France in June 2019.
See also
In Spanish: Air France-KLM para niños
