IN BRIEF (Page 16)

Airline hit by fuel costs

Air France-KLM Group, Europe's biggest airline, said fiscal second-quarter profit declined 49 percent because of high fuel costs and after a year-earlier gain from the sale of assets. The airline predicted operating income "clearly in profit" for the full year.

Net income fell to 244 million euros in the three months ended Sept 30 compared with a restated 479 million euros a year earlier, the Paris-based airline's chief financial officer, Philippe Calavia, said yesterday. Sales rose 3.2 percent to 6.7 billion euros.