It is a blow for the tricolor flagship. According to Air France unions, the group plans to eliminate more than 7,500 jobs by the end of 2022, including 6,560 (out of approximately 41,000) within the company and more than 1,000 within the regional company Hop! . Details of the plan are to be formally presented to labor organizations at social and economic committees (SSC) scheduled for Friday.
The redundancies, expressed in FTEs (full-time equivalents), will involve natural departures not replaced (around 3,500) and essentially voluntary departures, even if, still from union sources, forced departures are not excluded for staff of the short-haul network.
A state support plan at 7 billion euros…
In May, the European Commission authorized France to grant € 7 billion in support to the airline to cope with the consequences of the coronavirus crisis. "This guarantee and this shareholder loan granted by France will provide Air France with the liquidity it urgently needs to resist the repercussions of the pandemic," explained European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager, quoted in a press release. .
In detail, French loans must consist of 4 billion bank loans guaranteed 90% by the State and 3 billion direct loans from the State, with in return commitments on improving its profitability and on the reduction of its CO2 emissions. This notably involves eliminating part of the domestic flights in France.
