THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government has bought more than 12 percent of shares in the holding company for the Air France-KLM alliance, a move intended to give it more influence over the uneasy airline partnership’s future.
Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra announced Tuesday that the government purchased 12.68 percent of shares in Air France-KLM S.A.
The Dutch state already owns a 5.9-percent stake in KLM, the national airline of the Netherlands.
Hoekstra says the holding company shares will allow the government to exert influence over strategic decisions about the alliance.
The announcement comes a week after Air France and KLM reached a compromise on tightening ties between the two airlines after fears of a power struggle alarmed the Dutch government, airline employees and shareholders.
