Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Air France KLM-Group rose the most in a month in Paris trading after the Wall Street Journal said the carrier may help fund a Delta Air Lines Inc. bid for Northwest Airlines Corp. should the two agree to merge.

The stock advanced 60 cents, or 3 percent, to 20.71 euros, the biggest jump since Dec. 10, after the Journal said the Paris- based airline might provide strategic or financial backing for a Delta bid, citing people familiar with the situation. Air France spokeswoman Brigitte Barrand said the company had no comment.

``It may be positive if Air France is thinking of intervening,'' said Nick Van den Brul, an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas who added that it would be logical for the European airline to take a stake in any combination of its two U.S. allies. The London-based analyst has a ``buy'' rating on the stock.

Air France-KLM was trading up 1.9 percent as of 12:24 p.m. in the French capital.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andrea Rothman in Toulouse, France, at aerothman@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 17, 2008 06:45 EST