No French job transfers at Air France-KLM

Air France-KLM will not be transferring jobs to France, Alexandre de Juniac, the company’s chairman said on Monday.

The chairman of the French/Dutch cooperative aimed to put fears of joblosses that lived among the unions at ease. Unions FNV and De Unie rang the alarm bells in December 2013, after learning that Air France would press further with the merge and change the company structure, leaving KLM with little to no powers. Of the 7,500 people that would end up working in the holding that would emerge, only 2,300 would be from KLM. All that would be left in the Netherlands would be an executive affiliate. But speaking during a press event in Amstelveen yesterday, de Juniac was adamant: “A plan like that was never tabled,” he said. He did say that Air-France KLM was looking at more airline partners to consolidate with. “Worldwide that is a trend that is moving fast,” KLM Director Camiel Eurlings said. The airline executives said the company was improving financially. KLM has actually been making profit the last year –albeit insufficiently-, and Air France is heading in the same direction. “Both companies are national prides, two strong brands that coexisted next to each other; but without the merge ten years ago neither would have survived.”