IN BRIEF (Page 16)

Traffic boost

Air France-KLM Group, Europe's biggest airline, said passenger traffic rose 3.2 percent in March on increased travel to Asia.

Paris-based Air France-KLM said the number of passengers carried advanced 0.2 percent to 6.27 million and capacity rose by 4.8 percent. Chief Executive Officer Jean-Cyril Spinetta, who led the purchase of Dutch carrier KLM in 2004, is using higher fares and fuel surcharges to help sustain earnings.

Cosmetics result

Oriflame Cosmetics SA, the Swedish seller of natural makeup, lifted its full-year revenue forecast after first-quarter sales exceeded its expectations.

Revenue for the full year will likely be "well above" 10 percent in local currencies, after sales increased 21 percent in euros and 26 percent in local currencies in the first quarter, the company said. The outlook for the operating profit margin remains unchanged, it said in the release.

Port firm advances

DP World Ltd, the world's fourth-biggest container-port operator, reported a better-than-expected 52 percent rise in 2007 profit as expanding global trade boosted cargo shipments at its 42 terminals worldwide.

Net income at the Dubai government-controlled company rose to $420 million from $276 million a year earlier, it said in a statement yesterday.

Irish airline takes off

Aer Lingus Group Plc, Ireland's second-largest airline, said passenger traffic rose 22 percent in March after the carrier added aircraft and routes.

The load factor, or proportion of seats filled, fell to 75.3 percent from 78.1 percent a year earlier, the Dublin-based company said yesterday in a Regulatory News Service statement, led by a 7.3 percentage-point drop on long-haul flights. The number of passengers increased 15 percent to 898,000 people.

Russian venture

Isuzu Motors Ltd, Japan's biggest maker of light-duty trucks, will assemble vehicles in Russia with OAO Severstal-Avto beginning in August as the country's demand for commercial vehicles rises.

The venture will have an annual capacity of 25,000 units, Tokyo-based Isuzu said yesterday in a statement. Japanese trading company Sojitz Corp is also a partner in the venture, it said.

Talks to resume?

Alitalia SpA's labor unions may resume talks with Air France-KLM Group over the sale of Italy's state-owned airline after halting negotiations last week, newspaper La Repubblica reported, without saying where it got the information.

Officials at two Alitalia flight attendants' unions may back away from proposals made last week and seek new talks with Air France, the daily said.

First dividend

Renault Samsung Motors Co, the South Korean affiliate of France's Renault SA, plans to pay a dividend to the French automaker in April, the first since being acquired out of bankruptcy in 2000.

Renault Samsung will make payments totaling 41.4 billion won ($42.4 million), or 470 won a share, this month, the Busan, South Korea-based automaker said yesterday.

Price rise

Posco, Asia's third-biggest steelmaker, agreed to a tripling in the price it pays for coking coal, setting a record for the steel-making material after floods in Australia reduced global supplies.

The Pohang, South Korea-based company will pay Australian suppliers between 205 percent and 215 percent more for some of its coal for the year starting April 1, said spokeswoman Ko Min-jin.

Agencies

(China Daily 04/08/2008 page16)