The French post office is adjusting its strategy and will once again concentrate on its core business – carrying letters. It is planning to sell its air transport subsidiary Europe Airpost – which was known by the name Aeropostale until the year 2000 – to South Africa’s Imperial Holdings, owner of the airline Safair, this semester.

Jean-Paul Bailly, La Poste’s president said that, together with state-owned rail operator SNCF, La Poste has plans to establish a network of postal TGV trains between France’s major cities with links to the most important centres of trade and industry in neighbouring countries.

In another development, La Poste said its turnover from express distribution activities in 2006 increased 15.7 percent on the previous year to 2,932 million euros, largely due to buoyant demand in Eastern Europe, Germany and the UK.

Turnover from mail rose 0.5 percent to 11,316 million euros, a consequence of a 1.1 percent dip in traffic volumes.

La Poste’s turnover from parcel delivery was up 7.2 percent to 1,238 million euros partly as a result of the growth in Internet trading.