The unions are still opposed to Air France's decision, announced in mid-October, to leave Orly airport and consolidate all its activities at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle. In two years' time at the latest, the group will only be represented at Orly by its low-cost subsidiary Transavia.
The inter-union group, which brings together all the airline's organizations except the two main pilots' unions, Syndicat national des pilotes de ligne (SNPL) and Syndicat des pilotes d'Air France, has called a strike on Thursday, December 14. On that day, the unions are calling on Air France employees to demonstrate at 10 am outside Orly's Terminal 3. In a press release issued on Tuesday, December 12, the company announced that it was "maintaining its entire flight schedule for this day."
The planned move to Roissy has led to fears of a drop in activity and job cuts at Orly, as well as at the Nice, Marseille and Toulouse provincial airports. Some 600 airline employees are expected to move to Roissy, according to the unions. Management has put the number of ground staff and maintenance staff to be transferred to the Charles-de-Gaulle hub at 430 and 170 respectively. This announced departure is opposed by the unions, who would like to see these staff kept at Orly to look after Transavia's aircraft and operations.
In addition to the transfers to Roissy, almost 150 jobs are likely to be threatened in the region. According to the unions, these staff cuts will lead to a drop in activity. This is particularly true for the shuttle service, the sky train that links Orly and Roissy to Nice, Toulouse and Marseille several times a day. For example, while the company operates five daily round trips to Marseille from Roissy, it operates seven daily round trips from Orly. In mid-October, the CGT was already asking "will Air France maintain its 12 daily round trips to Marseille once it has regrouped at Roissy, or will it reduce its activity?"
Against this background of union unrest, the announcement of the forthcoming appointment of Florence Parly to the Air France-KLM Board of Directors, is further annoying employees. Having left the airline nine years ago, the former armed forces minister is returning after being co-opted to succeed Isabelle Parize as a director of the Air France-KLM group. A first step before Parly "takes over from Anne-Marie Couderc as CEO, at the latest at the close of the 2025 General Meeting called to approve the financial statements for the year 2024," the airline said in a statement.
You have 40% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.