Coronavirus: partial unemployment at Air France, job loss at British Airways

The management ofAir France is considering the implementation of Partial unemployment and the executive salary freeze to face the crisis ” of unprecedented scale »Caused by the coronavirus, she announced in a message to employees yesterday.

” The violent decline in our activity leads us to consider having to set up partial activity systems“, Wrote the general manager Anne Rigail in this message, specifying that these measures would concern” all Air France staff, operational and support, who are experiencing a drop in activity“.

The French company has considerably reduced its flight program since the emergence of the coronavirus at the end of January, first with the suspension of numerous flights to Asia, to Italy and finally to the United States, which are now prohibited for passengers in from the Schengen area.

” ATBefore the American announcement, we had planned for April a reduced offer of 30% to 40% on long haul and short and medium haul. Given the new restrictions announced every day around the world, we will unfortunately have to revise these forecasts downwards“, Said Anne Rigail, adding that” this unprecedented crisis“, Is already having an impact on Air France’s cash flow.

For the time being, the French State, which owns 14.3% of the airline group Air France-KLM, seems to rule out the idea of ​​replenishing the fund with an increase in its participation, as reported Le Figaro and The echoes. ” This is not news“A source in the finance ministry told Reuters. And to specify: ” The subject today for Air France is how to pass this difficult moment with a sharp drop in turnover“.

Across the Channel, British Airways announced that she was counting cut jobs faced with the sharp drop in demand. ” We cannot maintain our workforce at their current level“, Warned its president, Alex Cruz yesterday, in a memo sent to the employees, confirming to have started discussions with the unions of the British company to launch a plan of dismissal.

” We stop serving destinations and we will keep planes on the ground like never before“, Underlined Alex Cruz. The coronavirus is ” a global crisis like we have never known “In air transport, he said, referring to a situation” worst “Until after September 11.

Even if Donald Trump’s decision to ban passengers from the Schengen area from American territory does not directly affect the British (the United Kingdom is not in the Schengen area), a quarter of British passengers Airways are Europeans from Schengen who travel to the United States via London airports.

Update : The United States has just extended the country’s entry ban to citizens of the United Kingdom and Ireland.