Air France pilots strike continues despite management climbdown
62 per cent of Air France pilots were estimated to be still on strike on Thursday, though there is hope that new negotiations between the main pilots’ union and management, to resume this afternoon, could lead to a deal.
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Half of Air France’s Thursday flights have been cancelled.
A spokesperson for the main pilots’ union, the SNPL, said it had put forward a “counter proposition” after Air France announced on Wednesday that it was scrapping plans to expand its low-cost subsidiary into Europe.
Talks began last night and continued until 4.00 am on Thursday morning.
On Wednesday the airline proposed “the immediate withdrawal” of plans to expand an offshore-based Transavia Europe but said it would pursue the development of Transavia’s services in France.
It called for pilots to return to work “immediately”, to end a dispute that has already lasted ten days and cost Europe’s second-largest flag carrier 20 million euros per day.
“With the withdrawal of the Transavia Europe plan, there is no longer any reason to strike because there can be no fear of outsourcing”, said a statement from the airline.
Interviewed on French radio on Thursday morning, government spokesperson Stephane Le Foll said “This strike must stop”.
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