European stock markets ended lower on Wednesday as fears that sky-high oil prices would cut corporate profits dented sentiment, pulling down airline stocks, while British pay-TV firm BSkyB plunged 19 percent on subscriber growth concerns. Air France fell 3.8 percent and Deutsche Lufthansa was 3.2 percent weaker, as high oil prices spelt earnings worries for the struggling sector, already fighting cutthroat competition and deep cost cuts. Swiss bank Credit Suisse lost 6.3 percent to 38.8 francs and led banks lower after a disappointing update, while Germany's Commerzbank also dampened the market mood with a muted outlook. The FTSE Eurotop 300 index of pan-European blue chips fell 0.79 percent to 976.13 points and is now just 2.5 percent above the year's low of 951.95 points. The narrower DJ Euro Stoxx index lost 1.0 percent to 2,684.3 points. "Today, there seems to be greater conviction in selling in that there is a rise in volumes. The longer oil prices stay high, the more nervous people will stay," said Akber Khan, director of European equities at Deutsche Bank. The surge in oil prices to above $44 a barrel has come at a time when interest rates are rising, making investors nervous about the sustainability of corporate profit growth. --More 2130 Local Time 1830 GMT
