The French state will do whatever is necessary to ensure the survival of Air France, part of Air France-KLM. Minister of Finance Bruno le Maire stated it on the French TV channel France 2. According to the administrator, much has already been done and that line will continue.
Air France, like other airlines, is hit hard by the COVID crisis. The entire flow of passengers dropped after travel restrictions had made international travel impossible. There has been some recovery in recent weeks.
France has already committed itself to a EUR 7 billion aid package this year. The promise of extra support sounded earlier from Paris. Sister company KLM is in consultation with the Dutch state and trade unions on the conditions for an emergency package worth EUR 3.4 billion. KLM has to come up with a plan before October.
Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, the Minister for Transport, believes that Air France-KLM as a whole can perform better. In his view, this would include fleet management and coordination of activities, as he said to Europe 1 radio.
Djebbari pointed out, among other things, that the airline might not do enough to be competitive. At Air France and KLM work is being done on reducing the workforce. According to Djebbari, the interventions are responding to the current situation.
The problem is that it is not clear what the situation will be in the near future. According to the minister, the sector needs to think about their medium-term business models. The main question is whether business travellers will return. During the summer months, tourists in particular made sure that the flows of passengers got a little started again. However, it was three-quarters lower than normal.