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PARIS (Reuters) - Air France-KLM posted a sharp increase in gross operating margins for the second quarter and said it would soon announce a new "Perform 2020" plan for 2015-2020 aimed at regaining market share from low-cost rivals in Europe.
Europe's second largest traditional network carrier by revenues, behind Lufthansa, reported 641 million euros (507 million pound)in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), up from 510 million in the same quarter of last year.
The Franco-Dutch group's EBITDA margin rose to 9.9 percent from 7.8 percent on sales which rose 1.7 percent on a like for like basis to 6.451 billion euros, and said it would reach its newest profit and debt goals for 2014 while stressing a "tough" environment in the wake of a profit warning earlier this month.
However it took a 106 million euro charge on its loss-making cargo planes and said it was also looking at a partnership or restructuring of its full-freighter business.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Cyril Altmeyer; Editing by Andrew Callus)