Air France issues draft agreement to pilot unions; proposes 'NewCo' subsidiary

Air France issued (09-Feb-2017) a draft agreement to the SNPL and SPAF pilot unions, following negotiations since Dec-2016, open for signing until 24-Feb-2017. The draft agreement proposes the creation of "NewCo", a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air France, that will be operated by Air France pilots with Air France rules of use and pay. This will allow the contribution to Boost's pilot cost savings to be shared by the entire pilot population. NewCo's fleet will not exceed 18 medium haul aircraft and 10 long haul aircraft, under the draft agreement guarantees. Air France aims is to launch its first medium haul service in autumn 2017 using A320 equipment. NewCo will be launched in summer 2018 with A340 aircraft, followed by A350s in 2019, for long haul services. [more - original PR]