Air France-KLM has reported higher passenger traffic figures for September as the carrier looks to benefit from the collapse of the two of its smaller French competitors.
Air France-KLM said that it carried approximately 9.3 million passengers in September, up 2.2% from last year.
The group has been reporting higher traffic figures for 17 months running.
The airline's load factor increased by 0.6 percentage points to 89.2% from last year, the company said.
Last month, Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith said that a market consolidation through the bankruptcies of certain carriers would eventually benefit the country's aviation industry and jobs.
Stakes
The French state has a 14.3% stake in Air France-KLM, while Delta Airlines and China Eastern Airlines each hold an 8.8% stake in the group.
Aigle Azur And XL Airways
Last month, Air France withdrew a rescue bid for Aigle Azur, which has been formally wound down, and has since rebuffed overtures by XL Airways, another insolvent carrier.
A long line of small European airlines have run into trouble faced with industry overcapacity, cut-throat competition and high fuel prices. Airlines Germania, Flybmi and Iceland's WOW have all failed this year.
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