Air France : bid on flights in France will collapse by 40% by 2021

The closing of the destinations when there is an alternative by rail in less than 2h30 responds to a request from the State.

Air France-KLM will reduce to 40% offer on domestic flights French by 2021, with the closure of several destinations, announced the CEO of the airline Benjamin Smith at the general assembly. "The home network also will experience a transformation accelerated", he declared at the agm held on Tuesday.

This decision responds to a request of the State, having granted Air France's financial support of € 7 billion, of which $ 4 billion of bank loans guaranteed 90% by the State and $ 3 billion direct loan to the State, had asked him to improve its profitability and its environmental impact, and to initiate a reflection on its network in France.

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"The capacity will be reduced by 40% over the same period by 2021, with the closure of destinations, when there is an alternative by rail in less than 2h30 and when this service does not provide power to the hub of Roissy-Charles-De-Gaulle," said Benjamin Smith.

The carrier franco-Dutch, the activity of which has been virtually shut down by the crisis of the sars coronavirus, has reported a net loss of 1.8 billion euros in the first quarter and shows prospects very dark until the third quarter.

Closure of destinations when there is an alternative by rail in less than 2h30

"Air France must be able to meet its commitments, while respecting the social contract," responded Farid Slimani of the Unsa Air France. "We guess the job losses that will result from it", for his part, lamented Joel Rondel, secretary of the CES (economic and social committee) of the regional airline Hop!.

The intersyndicale of this subsidiary of Air France was accused recently its parent company have decided to "sacrifice" lines, inter-regional, "under the pretext of non-profitability" and because of "information government" in favour of the alternative rail on short journeys.

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the adaptation of The network of Air France when there are alternatives with the train in less than 2h30 is part of the levers of the company to achieve the goal of "reducing its CO2 emissions by 50% on its domestic flights departing from Orly and region-to-region-to-horizon 2024 compared to 2019", in the framework of commitments taken by the government.

Ben Smith must present to the was a roadmap for its home network, while Air France has lost € 200 million in 2019 on its domestic routes, which are strongly affected by the competition of lines of high-speed train.

"there will be a drop of some lines"

The lines that connect Orly to Bordeaux, Nantes and Lyon could as well be concerned, as are other routes which are not profitable, which a few cross-links, according to a source close to the dossier which clarifies that the reduction of the network should be implemented "by the end of 2021".

Transavia, the low-cost company Air France, "must become the new company's short-haul Air France" and resume flights to Hop! from Orly, " says Joel Rondel.

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But Transavia "is not going to take back all the lines, Hop! so there will be a drop of some lines", fears the delegate CGT. It expects a reduction of 40% of the jobs in Hop!, or "about 1200 job cuts" on the 2700 current, and the possible closure of several sites, including that of Morlaix, in charge of the maintenance of the fleet Bombardier.

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the table on the details during the presentation of the GPEC (forward management of jobs and skills) "in the second half of June". The branch will begin on Thursday, talks with the pilot unions of Air France (SNPL, majority), but also the Spaf and Alter) on the network-short-haul.