Air France achieved its best financial result last year with an 18.9 percent increase in net profits from E354m (US$304.5m) to E421m despite higher fuel costs and losses at some of its regional airline subsidiaries.

Jean-Cyril Spinetta, Air France chief executive, said that the group was aiming to achieve results in the current financial year "on a par" with last year despite the downturn in economic activity in the US.

The group has achieved rising profits in each of the past four years after ending a period of six years of continuous losses in the first half of the 1990s.

The French airline is increasing capacity significantly, in contrast to rivals such as British Airways and KLM of the Netherlands, with a rise of 9.5 percent in available seat kilometres in the 2001 summer schedule including a 10.6 percent increase in seat capacity on long haul flights.

(Eastday.com.cn 05/30/2001)