=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/news/archive/2004/08/13/f= inancial1137EDT0074.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, August 13, 2004 (AP) Air France revenue up 12 percent in first quarter (08-13) 13:33 PDT PARIS (AP) -- Air France-KLM Group on Friday said its revenue climbed 12 percent to 4.= 46 billion euros ($5.47 billion) in its fiscal first quarter, citing in part a rebound in travel to Asia. Air France and KLM merged in May, creating Europe's largest airline. The French-Dutch carrier said its latest revenue compared to revenue of 3.97 billion euros in the same period a year earlier on a pro forma basis, which tallies sales as if KLM had already merged with Air France. The airline said the revenue rise was due to a poor performance the previous year brought about by the war in Iraq and the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, epidemic in Asia. Traffic revenues from routes to Asia and the Pacific region jumped 61 percent, the company said. Quarterly revenue on passenger traffic was 3.55 billion euros ($4.35 billion), up 12 percent from the pro forma level a year ago, and cargo revenue rose 7.6 percent to 537 million euros ($659 million). Air France-KLM posted a 1.5 percent increase in unit revenue per availab= le seat kilometer, excluding currency effects. The figure is a key indicator in the airline industry. The company, based in Roissy, France, will release first-quarter earnings numbers on Sept. 2. American shares of Air France-KLM closed Friday at $14.40, down 19 cents, or 1.3 percent, on the New York Stock Exchange. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2004 AP