SkyTeam member carrier Air France believes that, despite recent airline consolidation, alliances can still play a key role in the airline industry.
The emergence of Air France-KLM Group and Star Alliance member Lufthansa's acquisition of Swiss International Air Lines have advanced consolidation among Europe's airlines.
But speaking at SkyTeam's semi-annual conference in Amsterdam, Air France chief operating officer Pierre-Henri Gourgeon said that this does not negate the need for global airline groups.
"The alliance is very easy to understand when you talk about airlines in various parts of the world," he says. "We were head-to-head competitors [with KLM]. Our business was to connect Europe with the rest of the world."
He says that this rivalry would have prevented a fully harmonious relationship within an alliance, driving a need for the two to work towards a common bottom line.
Conversely, other alliance members in other parts of the world can offer a more complementary fit, enabling co-operation without a threat of overlap.
"We do not see a capital link with US partners: what would it bring? It is not needed. They are more complementary," says Gourgeon.
Source: Flight Daily News
