Atlanta ? Delta Air Lines on Thursday reported a $2.2 billion fourth-quarter loss, giving it what was easily the industry’s worst-ever annual financial performance.

The nation’s third-largest carrier blamed high fuel prices, low fares and hefty charges for the poor results, which missed even Wall Street’s reduced expectations.

A Delta Air Lines jet moves across a taxiway as another aircraft takes off from Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta. Thursday, Delta Air Lines Inc. reported a .2 billion fourth quarter loss.

Shares of Delta fell 56 cents, or 9.4 percent, to $5.39 in morning trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein told analysts that “if Delta is to survive, we must develop a fundamentally different way of doing business, which is what we’re doing.”

Delta has lost $8.5 billion since 2001 and nearly fell into bankruptcy 2 1/2 months ago before winning deep concessions from pilots and fresh financing from creditors.

For the three months ending Dec. 31, the Atlanta-based company said its net loss was $2.21 billion, compared with a loss of $332 million in the same period a year ago.

The results pushed the airline’s total losses for 2004 to $5.2 billion.