UPDATE 1-Air France-KLM traffic falls 1.2 pct in August

* August passenger load factor falls 0.3 percentage points

* Forward bookings trend positive

* Shares fall 0.9 pct

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PARIS, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Passenger traffic at Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) in August fell for the first time since it was hit by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud in April but said the trend in forward bookings was positive.

Traffic dropped 2.1 percent on its Americas routes, 2.7 percent on services to and from Africa and the Middle East and 1.1 percent on its European network, the Franco-Dutch carrier said. Overall passenger traffic slid 1.2 percent last month.

"Leisure traffic was slightly less dynamic than in August 2009, which had seen robust levels of activity," the airline said in a statement on Tuesday. "Forward bookings for the coming months show a positive trend."

The passenger load factor, a measure of how much capacity the carrier filled, was down 0.3 percentage points at 84.5 percent, the company said. The airline reduced the amount of seating capacity available by 0.9 percent.

Capacity was also reduced by 0.9 percent in its cargo business, where traffic increased by 0.5 percent. The cargo load factor rose 0.8 points to 64.3 percent. Unit revenue rose strongly, Air France-KLM added.

The August decline in traffic at Air France-KLM was slower than that at UK rival British Airways BAY.L, which posted a drop of 2.9 percent, pulled down by Asia-Pacific and Americas routes.

Irish carrier Aer Lingus (AERL.I) said on Tuesday its passenger traffic fell 10 percent last month, hit by an 18 percent decline on long-haul services.

Shares in Air France-KLM were up 0.2 percent at 11.02 euros by 0713 GMT. (Reporting by James Regan; Editing by David Cowell)