Air France has confirmed that it is seeking a further 2,800 voluntary redundancies among its staff as part of the latest measures in its Transform 2015 restructuring programme.
In a meeting with the airline’s central works committee today, Air France’s management put a figure on the redundancies that Air France-KLM chief executive Alexandre de Juniac had said in July will be needed in order to ensure the sustainability of the business. Meetings with Air France's unions over the cuts are ongoing. In addition, Air France says it will continue a policy of wage moderation in 2014.
Facing a sixth consecutive annual operating loss, Air France has begun the process of implementing further restructuring measures as part of its Transform 2015 restructuring plan, with more to be disclosed after another meeting with its central works council on 4 October. This is expected to include a revamp of the airline’s short- and medium-haul network, including its regional bases in Marseille, Nice and Toulouse. It has already announced an increase in the activity of Transavia France, which is to gain a further five aircraft by summer 2014, bringing the total fleet to 16.
The Transform 2015 programme, launched in 2012, is intended to achieve a €2 billion ($2.7 billion) reduction in Air France-KLM’s net debt by 2015, and has already involved the departure of over 5,000 staff.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news