Category Archives: Hop!

Air France to reduce its domestic network

Air France is planning to cut back its domestic network as a result of stiff competition. The company will reduce its short-haul capacity by 15% by the end of 2021 which could lead to a reduction of up to 465 positions. Here is the full announcement about its French domestic system:

At the Central Social and Economic Works Council (CSEC) held on May 13, strategic guidelines for the company were presented and discussed, as well as their implications in terms of jobs and skills management planning (GPEC): to improve operational performance, offer the highest level of product quality and service to customers, as well as to restore Air France’s competitiveness, including adapting its short-haul activity. The entire company and its employees have been striving for years to ensure that the company adapts to market conditions and the extremely fierce competition in the sector.

Increased competition from the TGV

Over the past five years, Air France’s domestic network has been strongly affected by competition from high-speed train routes, which have increased their capacity throughout the country, reduced journey times and developed a very competitive low-cost offer. The French authorities have ensured that train travel has expanded over the years and has become Air France’s main rival on the domestic network, departing from Paris airports or the French regions, without being subject to taxes or charges that directly target air transport,. The launch of four new high-speed routes in 2016 and 2017 is expected to attract 4.7 million additional passengers by 2020(1) and on routes where high-speed trains connect Paris to the provinces in under two hours, Air France has lost 90% of its market share.

The rapid development of low-cost airlines

As well, in recent years low-cost airlines have set up bases at major airports and have gained ground rapidly with aggressive pricing policies and often with the help of public authorities. Unlike Air France, where 90% of staff are based in France, a majority of these airlines have not contributed to developing employment in the regions where they operate, taking advantage of European mobility and basing employees in jurisdictions with lower labour costs.

Air France teams have launched several initiatives

Faced with this tenuous situation, Air France teams have fortunately been able to adapt to an increasingly difficult environment. They are behind many innovative commercial initiatives that have improved our offer to meet customer expectations in terms of flight schedules, customer experience, and punctuality, and have enabled us to maintain a 65% market share in the domestic market. However, on some routes the revenue decline could not have been prevented, nor unit costs reduced. As a result, Air France’s financial situation has deteriorated significantly on its domestic network, and in 2018 it posted a loss of €189 million, a sharp decrease compared to 2017 (€96 million). Since 2013, cumulative losses have amounted to €717 million.

Photo: Hop! Air France is phasing out the Hop! brand.

No forced departures

Air France’s jobs and skills management planning (GPEC) for the 2019-2021 period reveals important hiring requirements in numerous sectors of the company, but also overstaffing in the short-haul ground operations activities. Air France also plans to reduce its short-haul capacity in terms of available seat-km (ASK) by 15% by the end of 2021.

Employee union representatives have thus been informed of a planned voluntary departures plan that could concern up to 465 jobs on the domestic network, carried out over a one-year period. This plan will shortly be the subject of a consultation with relevant stakeholders.

There will be no forced departures. This project includes personalized support measures for the staff concerned. The measures will be detailed and negotiated with the labour groups during the consultation.

“Many new talented staff – pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and engineers – will join us in 2019,” said Anne Rigail, CEO of Air France, “to support Air France’s growth, but we also have the responsibility to guarantee an even balance of our activities in certain sectors to secure their long-term viability. This is the idea behind the project presented for the short-haul sector today. We will conduct the consultation process with our labour groups as part of an open and transparent dialogue, and we are committed to supporting all staff who wish to move to a new position or develop their career”

“The French domestic network is intricately linked to the history of Air France,” said Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM Group. “It guarantees its regional base, and connects the French regions to the rest of the world by offering several thousand daily connection opportunities. In a highly competitive marketplace, we are all fully engaged in defending a domestic market that is vital for Air France and also more globally for the Air France-KLM Group.”

[1] Report on the future of rail transport – February 15, 2018

Top Copyright Photo: Hop! For Air France Bombardier CRJ700 (CL-600-2C10) F-GRZN (msn 10264) AMS (Ton Storck). Image: 939600.

Hop! aircraft slide show:

Hop! becomes Air France Hop

Air France today (February 1) announced that the commercial branding on its routes operated by its regional fleet, and currently under the HOP! brand, will now be marketed under the name Air France HOP.

This development makes it possible to link the regional flight offer more clearly to the Air France brand, and strengthens it by making it the sole point of reference for customers wishing to travel on the French flag carrier.

This is the next step in the process of simplifying Air France-KLM’s brand portfolio in order to provide greater clarity for customers and more consistency with the group’s global commercial offer.

The Air France-KLM group relies on two strong brands, Air France and KLM, which both have regional variations with Air France HOP and KLM Cityhopper, and offers its customers low-cost services with the Transavia brand, present in France and the Netherlands.

“This is the next step towards consolidating the strength of our brands and increasing the clarity and overall consistency of the Air France-KLM Group’s offer,” said Benjamin Smith, Air France-KLM Group CEO. “The domestic network, including the regional market currently operated by HOP! is fundamental to the Air France business model, securing its regional foothold and is an integral part of its history and DNA. In the face of competition in this market, we must make our offer clearer and link it more closely to the values and strengths of the Air France brand.

I would like to praise the commitment and professionalism of all staff at HOP!. I am confident that together we will succeed in making Air France HOP the reference brand for our customers when they travel on our regional network.”

This project is in line with the simplification strategy currently being implemented within Air France’s short-haul sector, including regional aircraft operations, which aims to regain customers’ trust and restore a sustainable economic balance. This change of brand will have no effect on the work contracts of HOP! staff. All flights sold by HOP! or currently on sale will continue to operate normally, with no impact on customers.

Will Air France close out the Hop! brand?

Air France-KLM’s newly appointed CEO Benjamin Smith has expressed disdain for the Hop! brand, similar to the Joon brand, which is being phased out.

The Hop! subsidary is now likely to be phased out too with a new working name that incorporates the Air France main brand.

Hop! is the brand name of the regional flights operated by subsidiaries of Air France. Its flights are operated by Airlinair, Brit Air and Régional under the Hop! brand.

Smith has stated that the Hop! brand leads to confusion for the passengers who may be connecting to an Air France flight.

Top Copyright Photo: Hop! For Air France Embraer ERJ 170-100STD F-HBXI (msn 17000310) BSL (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 939604.

Hop! aircraft slide show:

Nordic Aviation Capital to lease 7 new Embraer 190s to Hop!

NAC has signed an agreement to lease seven new Embraer E190 aircraft to HOP!. The seven aircraft are from NAC’s existing Embraer order book.

Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement to lease seven new E190 aircraft to HOP!. The placement of the seven new aircraft are from NAC’s existing Embraerorder book, the first of which is expected to deliver to HOP this month.

This lease will bring HOP!’s total Embraer fleet to 47 aircraft (32 E-Jets and 15 ERJ145s). It also marks further progress on converting Letters of Intent announced at Farnborough to firm purchase agreements – three of the seven aircraft being placed by NAC in this deal were announced this week as firm orders.

Top Copyright Photo: Hop! For Air France Embraer ERJ 190-100LR F-HBLJ (msn 19000311) TLS (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 929869.

Hop! aircraft slide show:

Hop! destinations in Europe:

Air France-KLM Group presents its 2018 – 2019 winter schedule: 2.5% increase in capacity

Air France-KLM today made the following announcement:

For the 2018-2019 winter season (October 28, 2018 to March 30, 2019), Air France-KLM is increasing capacity by 2.5%* compared to the previous winter season and is pursuing its growth objectives in continuation of the summer season. This growth, mainly generated by a better use of the fleet, is broken down as follows:

– +2.8% for long-haul passenger operations,

– +1.1% for medium and short-haul passenger operations,

– +11.5% for Transavia’s low-cost operations.

Long-haul: +2.8%

On its long-haul network, Air France-KLM will offer 6 new routes this winter –

– 5 destinations on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle in continuation of the summer season: Seattle/Tacoma (USA), Taipei (Taiwan), Nairobi (Kenya) with Air France and Fortaleza (Brazil) and Mahé (Seychelles) with Joon, which will also continue to serve Cape Town (South Africa), Mumbai (India) and Cairo (Egypt), previously operated by Air France.

– 1 destination on departure from Amsterdam-Schiphol in continuation of the summer season: Fortaleza (Brazil) with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

North America

In the United States, Air France will continue to serve Seattle/Tacoma, inaugurated on March 25, throughout the winter season with 3 weekly flights. The company will increase its weekly frequencies to Detroit and New York, offering 7 and 28 weekly flights respectively. KLM will offer an additional weekly flight to Minneapolis (4 weekly flights).

In Canada, the Air France-KLM group will increase seat capacity by 10% from Europe. Customers will benefit from an additional flight to Montreal (13 weekly flights) with Air France. On departure from Amsterdam-Schiphol, they will benefit from 2 additional flights to Toronto (9 weekly flights) and an additional flight to Calgary (7 weekly flights) with KLM.

Central and South America and the Caribbean

In Costa Rica, Air France and KLM will operate an additional flight to San José, representing a 30%** capacity increase from Europe, with 4 weekly flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and 3 weekly flights from Amsterdam-Schiphol throughout the winter season. A fourth frequency will be added during the peak season, from mid-December to January.

In Brazil, the Group will continue to serve Fortaleza with KLM and Joon, a destination that was inaugurated on May 3^rd by both airlines. Joon will increase its frequencies to the Brazilian destination with a total of 3 weekly flights. Air France will increase its seat capacity by 30% to Rio de Janeiro with 3 additional weekly flights (10 per week).

In Argentina, KLM will add a weekly frequency to offer customers a daily flight between Amsterdam-Schiphol and Buenos Aires.

In Colombia, the Bogota – Cartagena route will be operated 4 times weekly by KLM throughout the season. During the peak winter season, from December to February, customers will benefit from a fifth weekly frequency.

In the Caribbean, the Group will offer 3 times more seats between Europe and St. Martin – 4 additional flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and St. Martin with Air France (5 weekly flights) and an additional flight on the St. Martin – Curaçao route with KLM (3 weekly flights).

Asia and the Middle East

In Taiwan, Air France will continue its service from Paris-Charles de Gaulle in continuation of the summer season with 3 weekly flights.

In India, KLM will increase its flight frequencies to Mumbai and offer 4 weekly flights throughout the winter season. Joon will continue to serve Mumbai with a daily flight. In total, the Group will offer 32 weekly flights between Europe and India with Air France, KLM and Joon.

In Japan, Air France and KLM will offer customers an additional weekly flight to Osaka (5 and 7 flights per week respectively) on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol. Air France will also increase its frequencies to Tokyo-Haneda with 2 additional flights (12 weekly flights). The Group will thus increase its seat capacity to Japan by 8% for the winter season.

In Vietnam, Air France will offer an additional weekly flight to Ho Chi Minh City, i.e. 4 weekly flights, during the Christmas holiday period.

In Sri Lanka, KLM will adapt its flight schedule to the capital Colombo with 2 weekly flights.

In the United Arab Emirates, with 3 additional weekly flights on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and 2 additional flights from Amsterdam-Schiphol from next February, the Group will offer up to 19 flights per week between Dubai and its main hubs.

Africa and the Indian Ocean

In Egypt, Joon will continue to serve Cairo with a daily flight, a destination that was previously operated by Air France.

In Kenya, Air France will offer 3 weekly flights to Nairobi in continuation of the summer season. In total, Air France-KLM will offer 10 weekly services to Nairobi, with 3 on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and 7 on departure from Amsterdam-Schiphol, in addition to the daily services operated by its partner Kenya Airways from both hubs.

In West Africa, Air France-KLM will increase capacity by 10%. To Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and Accra (Ghana), customers will benefit from 2 and 4 additional flights respectively, for a total of one daily flight for each of these routes from Paris-Charles de Gaulle. To Lomé (Togo), Air France will offer a daily flight with 3 additional weekly flights in addition to the 4 weekly flights Paris – Niamey – Lomé.

In Sierra Leone and Liberia, KLM will cease its Freetown – Monrovia service on January 21, 2019.

In South Africa, Joon will continue to serve Cape Town with 5 weekly flights.

In the Seychelles, customers will benefit from 3 weekly flights to Mahé with Joon throughout the winter season.

In the Maldives, Air France will offer an additional flight to Malé, with a total of 3 weekly flights. KLM will continue to serve Mauritius with 3 non-stop weekly flights from Amsterdam-Schiphol, in addition to the non-stop Air France flights fromParis-Charles de Gaulle.

Medium- and short-haul: +1.1%.

On its medium- and short-haul network, the Air France-KLM Group will offer 20 new routes** from its main hubs and regions:

16 routes operated 1 to 14 times a week throughout the season:

– From Paris-Charles de Gaulle: Bari (Italy), Catania (Italy), Cork (Ireland), Lorient (France), Toulon (France) and Wroclaw (Poland) with AF as well as Bergen (Norway) with Joon.

– From Paris-Orly: La Rochelle (France) with HOP!

– From Amsterdam-Schiphol: Växjö (Sweden) with KLM

– From the French regions with HOP! Air France:

o From Caen: Geneva (Switzerland) and Marseille (France)

o From Lorient: Lyon (France)

o From Lille: Brest (France)

o From Metz-Nancy: Marseille (France)

o From Rennes: Brussels (Belgium) and Strasbourg (France)

4 routes operated once a week (mainly on weekends) during the French school holidays with HOP! Air France:

– Pau from Brest, Caen and Strasbourg (France)

– Geneva (Switzerland) from Brest (France)

For the first time, Joon will operate flights to Budapest (Hungary) and Bergen (Norway), previously operated by Air France, as well as Rome (Italy), Naples (Italy), Oslo (Norway) and Istanbul (Turkey) in continuation of the summer season. Joon, the new generation of travel by Air France, will offer a total of 10 destinations for the winter season on its medium-haul network.

Transavia: + 11.5%

Transavia will expand its network from all its bases in France and the Netherlands with 18 new routes**:

– From Eindhoven: Krakow (Poland)

– From Rotterdam: Nador (Morocco) and Lanzarote (Spain)

– From Amsterdam: Beirut (Lebanon) and Ovda (Israel)

– From Groningen: Tenerife (Spain)

– From Paris-Orly: Athens (Greece), Palermo (Italy), Rabat (Morocco) and Tenerife (Spain)

– From Nantes: Djerba (Tunisia), Monastir (Tunisia), Casablanca (Morocco), Rome (Italy), Seville (Spain), Tenerife (Spain) and Tel Aviv (Israel)

– From Lyon: Djerba (Tunisia)

On departure from the Netherlands, the Group’s low-cost airline will increase capacity by 3.8% and by 25% on departure from France.

A modernized fleet and new cabins

Air France-KLM is continuing its investments in order to offer its customers the latest generation aircraft and the best travel cabins.

For the 2018-2019 winter season, the Group will fly to 29 destinations by Boeing 787 with Air France and KLM:

From Paris-Charles de Gaulle: Boston and Detroit (United States), Bogota (Colombia), Panama (Panama), Guangzhou (China), Osaka (Japan), Bamako (Senegal), Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), Nairobi (Kenya), Malé (Maldives).
From Amsterdam-Schiphol: Toronto, Calgary (Canada), Minneapolis, New York, Washington, Atlanta, Houston and San Francisco (United States), San Jose (Costa Rica), Bogota – Cartagena (Colombia), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Mauritius (Republic of Mauritius), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Mumbai (India), Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xiamen (China) and Osaka (Japan).

The Air France Airbus A380 will also take off to 7 destinations: New York, Los Angeles and Miami (United States), Mexico City (Mexico), Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), Johannesburg (South Africa), and Shanghai (China).

Air France will offer its customers the opportunity to enjoy the latest new travel cabins on board 51% of its long-haul flights by the end of the winter season: 1 Airbus A330, 7 Boeing 787, 25 Boeing 777-200 and 19 Boeing 777-300 aircraft. In addition, next January, Air France’s first renovated Airbus A330 will unveil its brand new Business, Premium Economy and Economy long-haul travel cabins on flights to Houston (United States), Accra (Ghana) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). A total of 15 Airbus A330s will be refurbished by the beginning of 2020.

KLM is also continuing to deploy its new World Business Class and Economy cabins. As from January 2019:

all KLM long-haul flights will offer the new World Business Class, equipped with full flat seats.
all Boeing 777, Boeing 787 and Airbus A330 aircraft will be equipped with the new Economy cabins.

Joon also offers its customers its latest travel cabins on board its 4 Airbus A340s, which will fly to Cairo (Egypt), Cape Town (South Africa), Fortaleza (Brazil), Mumbai (India) and Mahé (Seychelles) throughout the winter season.

Finally, Transavia France is continuing to expand and will take delivery of a 34th new Boeing 737 in its fleet in December 2018.

*Capacity measured in available seat-kilometres compared to the 2017-2018 winter schedule.

**Compared to the 2017-2018 winter season.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the group): Transavia Airlines (Netherlands) Boeing 737-800 WL PH-HXK (msn 62157) ZRH (Andi Hiltl). Image: 943966.

Transavia (Netherlands) aircraft slide show:

Air France-KLM announce their 2017 summer schedule

For the 2017 summer season (from 26 March to 28 October 2017), Air France-KLM is continuing its growth by launching 53 new routes. The group is increasing capacity by 2.9% compared to the previous summer season*, with growth driven by the long-haul passenger network (+ 2%), the medium and short-haul passenger network (+ 2.7%) and Transavia’s low-cost activity (+ 10.2%).

53 new routes**

On its long-haul network, Air France-KLM is operating 9 new routes**:

3 destinations on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle operated by Air France: Accra (Ghana), Cancun (Mexico) and Cape Town (South Africa).
6 destinations on departure from Amsterdam-Schiphol operated by KLM: Cartagena (Colombia), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Minneapolis (United States), Monrovia (Liberia), Tehran (Iran) and Windhoek (Namibia).

On its medium and short-haul network, the group will operate 25 new routes**:

5 destinations on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle operated by Air France: Agadir and Marrakech (Morocco), Milan-Malpensa (Italy), Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and Porto (Portugal).
10 destinations on departure from Amsterdam-Schiphol operated by KLM: Cagliari and Catania (Italy), Dublin (Ireland), Milan-Malpensa (Italy), Gdansk (Poland), Graz (Austria), London-City Airport (UK), Malaga (Spain), Porto (Portugal) and Split (Croatia).
10 destinations on departure from the French regions operated by HOP! Air France:
On departure from Marseille: Athens (Greece), Ibiza (Spain) and Stockholm (Sweden);
On departure from Nice: Athens (Greece) and Tel Aviv (Israel);
On departure from Bordeaux: Copenhagen (Denmark) and Frankfurt (Germany);
On departure from Toulouse: Athens (Greece) and Malta;
On departure from Montpellier and Castres: Ibiza (Spain).

Finally, Transavia is continuing its development by launching 19 new routes**:

10 destinations on departure from Amsterdam-Schiphol: Almeria (Spain), Belgrade (Serbia), Helsinki (Finland), Katowice (Poland), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Munich (Germany), Reus (Spain), Sofia (Bulgaria), Tirana (Albania) and Zurich (Switzerland).
5 destinations on departure from Rotterdam: Bergerac (France), Pisa (Italy), Pula (Croatia), Valencia (Spain) and Venice (Italy).
1 destination on departure from Eindhoven: Stockholm (Sweden).
3 destinations on departure from Paris-Orly: Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Tangiers (Morocco) and Tivat (Montenegro).

Continued improvement of the fleet and services

This summer, the fleet modernization and the improvement of the group’s products and services are continuing with the arrival of 4 new Boeing 787 and the deployment of the new long-haul cabins on board 4 Boeing 777.

Copyright Photo Above: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner PH-BHC (msn 38760) AMS (Javier Rodriguez). Image: 932928.

KLM Aircraft Slide Show:

At the end of the 2017 summer season, Air France-KLM will have a total of 13 Boeing 787 in its fleet:

10 aircraft operated by KLM will fly to 18 destinations, partially or totally operated by the airline: Cape Town (South Africa), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto (Canada), Chengdu, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Xiamen (China), Bogota, Cartagena (Colombia), Atlanta, New York, Salt Lake City, San Francisco (United States), Delhi (India) and Osaka (Japan).
3 aircraft operated by Air France will fly to 4 long-haul destinations: Cairo (Egypt), Montreal (Canada) and Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) as a continuation of the flight to Bamako (Mali) as from 9 October 2017.

At the end of the 2017 summer season, KLM’s entire fleet of Boeing 747, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787, or 53 aircraft, will be equipped with the latest World Business Class cabins.

By the end of the summer season, Air France will offer 44 Boeing 777 equipped with its latest travel cabins on its long-haul network; 19 Boeing 777-300 and 25 Boeing 777-200, or the entire Boeing 777-200 fleet, as well as 3 Boeing 787 aircraft.

Long-haul: + 2%

North America: increased capacity to the United States and Mexico

On March 27, 2017, KLM will launch the Amsterdam-Schiphol – Minneapolis/St. Paul (United States) route, the largest cities in Minnesota. The route will be operated three times a week, in addition to a daily flight operated by Air France on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and three daily flights operated by Delta between Amsterdam-Schiphol and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Air France Aircraft Slide Show:

Air France is reinforcing the Paris-Charles de Gaulle – New York-JFK route by operating a second Airbus A380 on a daily basis. In total, Air France-KLM, together with Alitalia and Delta Air Lines, will offer 77 weekly services on departure from Paris and Amsterdam to New York-JFK as part of the vast transatlantic joint venture.

In Mexico, Air France will continue to serve Cancun with 3 weekly flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, a route previously operated only in winter.

Central and South America and the Caribbean: strong growth to Cuba

In Cuba, Air France-KLM is accompanying the market’s strong growth by offering 18 flights a week to Havana; six additional flights on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle (11 weekly frequencies operated by Air France) and Amsterdam-Schiphol (7 weekly frequencies operated by KLM).

In Colombia, KLM is suspending services to Cali and will offer Cartagena as a new destination from Amsterdam-Schiphol, as a continuation of the Amsterdam-Schiphol – Bogota flight.

KLM will continue to serve Saint Martin with 3 weekly non-stop flights to replace the Saint Martin – Curaçao – Amsterdam-Schiphol route.

Middle East and India: growth to Iran

Taking advantage of the expansion of the Iranian market, the group will continue to offer 7 weekly flights to Tehran: 4 weekly frequencies operated by KLM from Amsterdam-Schiphol and 3 weekly frequencies operated by Air France from Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

Air France-KLM is adapting its capacity in Egypt by suspending the Amsterdam-Schiphol – Cairo route, while maintaining a strong presence in this market with the deployment of Air France’s first Boeing 787.

KLM will be adjusting its flight schedule to the Middle East with the suspension of the service to Doha (Qatar) as of 25 March 2017. Instead, KLM will be increasing capacity to Bahrain by operating six weekly frequencies. Muscat (Oman) will be operated as a continuation of the flight to Dammam (Saudi Arabia), providing better connections at the group’s hub in Amsterdam-Schiphol.

Asia: consolidating our position

Air France is continuing its development to India by reinforcing its offer to Bangalore (1 additional weekly flight) and Mumbai (20% additional seats per day).

During the 2017 summer season, KLM will serve Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) with three additional weekly flights. These flights will be operated in addition to the daily Amsterdam-Schiphol-Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta (Indonesia) route.

In Greater China, passengers to and from Hong Kong will benefit daily from the latest long-haul cabins on board Air France’s Boeing 777-300 on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle throughout the 2017 summer season.

KLM and China Airlines are strengthening their cooperation by offering a direct flight operated by China Airlines between Taipei and Amsterdam-Schiphol, in continuation of the 2016-17 winter season. Thanks to a capacity-sharing agreement, KLM will be able to offer its customers 11 weekly flights.

Africa and Indian Ocean: strengthening the offer of destinations on an expanding market

KLM will operate 3 weekly services from Amsterdam-Schiphol to Freetown (Sierra Leone) and Monrovia (Liberia). Flights to Freetown will be offered in addition to Air France services. Monrovia is a new destination for the group.

In South Africa, Air France will extend services to Cape Town, previously operated only in the winter.

In Ghana, Air France will operate flights to Accra, inaugurated on 28 February 2017, with 3 flights a week from Paris-Charles de Gaulle. This new offer is in addition to the KLM services operated from Amsterdam-Schiphol, bringing the Group’s offer to 10 weekly flights. This new service will provide optimized connections for customers connecting to and from North America and Europe.

Finally, in continuation of the winter season, KLM will operate 3 weekly flights from Amsterdam-Schiphol to Windhoek (Namibia), as a continuation of the flight to Luanda (Angola).

Medium and short-haul: + 2.7%

With increased capacity, the group is once again demonstrating its agility on the European network and is expanding its offer with 25 new routes this summer.

On departure from the hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol

On departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Air France will launch flights to Marrakech and Agadir (Morocco), Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and Porto (Portugal). This new offer is in line with Air France-KLM’s offensive strategy as part of its Trust Together project. The growth of the group’s fleet combined with a more intensive use of its aircraft allows it to offer new destinations in Europe during the peak summer period.

On departure from Amsterdam-Schiphol, KLM will launch flights to Cagliari and Catania (Italy), Gdansk (Poland), Graz (Austria), London-City Airport (UK), Malaga (Spain), Porto (Portugal), and Split Croatia). In continuation of the winter 2016-17 season, KLM will continue to serve Dublin (Ireland).

Air France and KLM will resume service to Milan-Malpensa with 5 and 4 daily frequencies respectively from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol, in addition to 2 daily flights connecting Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Milan-Linate and a daily flight connecting Amsterdam-Schiphol to Milan-Linate.

On departure from Paris-Orly and the French regions

On the HOP! Air France network, in continuation of the 2016-17 winter season, 10 daily flights will be operated to Montpellier, the fifth La Navette destination on departure from Paris-Orly after Toulouse, Bordeaux, Marseille and Nice.

Hop Aircraft Slide Show:

On departure from the French provinces, to meet the high demand in the busy summer months, Air France will operate direct flights to Athens (Greece), Ibiza (Spain) and Stockholm (Sweden) from Marseille, to Athens (Greece) and Tel Aviv (Israel) from Nice, to Athens (Greece) and Malta from Toulouse, to Copenhagen (Denmark) and Frankfurt (Germany) from Bordeaux and to Ibiza (Spain) from Montpellier and Castres.

In addition, capacity will also be increased to Corsica, which will be served on departure from 16 French regional cities: Aurillac, Bordeaux, Brive, Caen, Castres, Clermont-Ferrand, La Rochelle, Lille, Metz-Nancy, Nantes, Quimper, Pau, Poitiers, Rennes, Strasbourg and Toulouse.

Copyright Photo: Transavia Airlines (Netherlands) Boeing 737-8K2 WL PH-HSK (msn 41330) BFI (Joe G. Walker). Image: 930150.

Transavia (Netherlands Slide Show:

Transavia: + 10.2%

This summer, Transavia will be offering 19 new routes**:

10 on departure from Amsterdam-Schiphol: Almeria (Spain), Belgrade (Serbia), Helsinki (Finland), Katowice (Poland), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Munich (Germany), Reus, (Spain), Sofia (Bulgaria), Tirana (Albania) and Zurich (Switzerland).
5 on departure from Rotterdam: Bergerac (France), Pisa (Italy), Pula (Croatia), Valencia (Spain) and Venice (Italy).
1 on departure from Eindhoven: Stockholm (Sweden).
3 on departure from Paris-Orly: Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Tangiers (Morocco) and Tivat (Montenegro).

Air France-KLM’s low-cost activity will offer a total of 133 destinations in 36 countries. 7 new Boeing 737-800 will join the fleet for a total of 70 aircraft.

In this way, Transavia, which is growing rapidly, is continuing its development on departure from France and the Netherlands. On departure from Paris-Orly, Transavia is strengthening its offer to Israel and Morocco. From Amsterdam-Schiphol, Transavia is developing new markets to the Eastern European countries.

* Capacity measured in available seat-kilometres compared to the 2016 summer schedule

**Compared to the 2016 summer season.

Video: HOP! and Bombardier celebrate 20 years of partnership

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CXzj-hXmeA&w=560&h=315%5D

Video from Bombardier. Celebrating 20 years of partnership with HOP! and the previous heritage airlines.

Air France unveils its updated plans for a bigger HOP!

Air France (Paris) is expanding the role for its HOP! regional subsidiary. HOP! Air France will take over the operation of Air France’s domestic services from the Paris Orly hub to Bordeaux, Marseilles, Nice and Toulouse.

Air France has issued this statement:

Air France at Lyon presented HOP! Air France, its short-haul activity, bringing together since March 29 the entire route network on departure from Paris-Orly, including La Navette flights, routes on departure from the French regions, inter-regional routes and to Europe.

This new organization is supported by a new unique and competitive commercial offer on the short-haul network, with tickets on sale since March 24, 2015.

With regular frequencies and adapted flight times, HOP! Air France aims to meet the expectations of both business travellers and leisure and VFR (Visit Friends and relatives) customers, i.e., travelling to see family and friends, who live and work in different regions, with holiday homes, etc.

HOP! Air France operates the leading European domestic network, with over 600 flights a day, a very extensive domestic network, with around one hundred aircraft offering a seating capacity of 48 to 212 seats. More than 8,500 Company staff (ground agents, pilots, flight attendants) are at the service of customers, across France.

A RETURN TO PROFIT IN 2017

This new offer within the Air France Group, should allow to generate new synergies and contribute to reducing unit costs. With this new activity, the Air France Group plans to implement the conditions for a return to profitability in 2017.

THE ASSOCIATION OF TWO BRANDS TO SIMPLIFY THE AIR FRANCE GROUP’S SHORT-HAUL OFFER

HOP! will be the main commercial brand for the customer. It symbolizes the values of proximity, simplicity and accessibility on short routes. Backed by the Air France brand, synonymous with a powerful network and a reassuring, trustworthy and quality brand, HOP! Air France proposes a new coherent offer that adapts to all the mobility needs of its customers.

Alexandre de Juniac, Chairman and CEO of the Air France-KLM Group, stated: “In France and Europe, Air France-KLM aims to offer its customers a solution for all their travel needs, both business and leisure. Our four brands Air France, KLM, HOP! and Transavia are thus developing complementary and competitive offers. This diversification, in which HOP! Air France rightly has its place for short distance travel, represents a considerable asset in addressing our customers’ needs to get about quickly and easily”.

Frédéric Gagey, Chairman and CEO of Air France, stated: “The time has come for the Air France Group to gain market share on the short-haul market. Competition is fierce with trains, and more recently coach travel and the car-pooling trend. An extensive network in France, a strong commercial presence on this market and a simpler and more reactive organization will enable HOP! Air France to establish itself as the reference on the French domestic network, Europe’s leading network”.

Lionel Guérin, Chief Operating Officer HOP! Air France, added: “The strength of HOP! Air France is the ability to offer all its customers frequent, rapid and direct flights at attractive and competitive fares, while contributing to the economic and tourist development of the regions served. The HOP! brand, backed by the Air France brand, also benefits from the expertise and professionalism of more than 8,500 employees united under a single banner committed to winning back short-haul customers in France”.

HOP! AIR FRANCE IN FIGURES

• 600 daily flights to 50 airports served
• 96 aircraft with between 48 and 212 seats
• Fares starting at €49* including tax one-way
• 13 million passengers carried each year
• 130 routes in summer 2015
• 4 Navette shuttle flights on departure from Paris-Orly: Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse
• 2 main hubs in France: Lyon (27 routes) and Paris-Orly (20 routes)
• More than 8,500 employees at the service of our customers, both on the ground and on board

On departure form Lyon:

• 27 destinations: 19 in France and 8 in Europe
• 2.8 million passengers carried in 2014

HOP! aircraft slide show:

Air France-KLM outlines the changes and strategies for their Summer Schedule

Air France (Paris) and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) have outlines the changes for its upcoming Summer Schedule effective from March 29 through October 24, 2015. Overall the Air France-KLM Group capacity is increasing (+ 1.7%) compared with the summer 2014 season.

Long-haul operations are increasing by 1.8%. Medium-haul activity is continuing its reorganization and is decreasing by 1.9%. Transavia’s low cost operations (+ 7.8%) are undergoing strong development in France and are being consolidated in the Netherlands.

Here are the highlights:

Long-haul: Air France-KLM is increasing services to Canada and is launching two new routes: Vancouver operated by Air France from March 25, 2015 and Edmonton served by KLM from May 5, 2015. The Group is also improving its position in South America thanks to the launch of a new KLM route to Bogota and Cali (Colombia) from March 31, 2015.

Medium-haul: Air France-KLM is developing its European network on departure from the Amsterdam-Schiphol hub by adding three new destinations operated by KLM Cityhopper as from May 18, 2015: Belfast (Northern Ireland), Krakow (Poland) and Montpellier (France). At Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Air France is increasing capacity to Bordeaux (France), Naples (Italy), Billund (Denmark), Bucharest (Romania) and Budapest (Hungary).

On departure from Paris-Orly and the regional airports, the Group continues to reorganize its short-haul activity, currently regrouped within HOP! Air France’s operations.

Low-cost operations: Transavia is continuing its rapid development in France (+30%) and is consolidating its activity in the Netherlands. The company is launching 14 new routes, while strengthening its offer of flights to the most popular summer destinations.

New products and services: Air France-KLM is continuing its move upmarket. At the end of the summer season, 20 Air France Boeing 777 (above) will be equipped with the latest BEST cabins. After renovating its World Business Class cabin on all its Boeing 747-400, KLM is gradually equipping its fleet of Boeing 777 with its new World Business Class and Economy Class. From April 2015, Air France is also introducing a new leather seat on 24 Airbus A319 on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle. It will then equip 25 Airbus A320 in the first half of 2016.

Partnerships: As well as strengthening its joint ventures (Delta, Alitalia, China Southern, China Eastern, Kenya Airways, Air Mauritius) and its strategic agreements (GOL), Air France-KLM is continuing the development of its partnerships all over the world. To offer more and more flight frequencies and destinations, the Group is extending its cooperation with the Canadian airline WestJet. The Group also has strong ambitions In Asia, illustrated by the signing of a cooperation agreement between KLM and Xiamen Airlines and the code-share agreement with Garuda on flights between Amsterdam and Jakarta.

LONG-HAUL: +1.8%

Air France-KLM’s long-haul activity is increasing by +1.8%.

North America

For the 2015 summer season, Air France-KLM is increasing services to Canada. As of March 25, 2015, Air France is launching a new route to Vancouver, with up to 5 weekly flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle. KLM is also introducing a new service between Amsterdam-Schiphol and Edmonton on May 5, 2015, with 3 weekly flights, then 4 weekly flights as of June 22, 2015.

Air France-KLM is developing its partnership with the Canadian airline WestJet, by offering new connecting opportunities in North America in addition to the new Paris-Vancouver and Amsterdam-Edmonton routes. Moreover, the Group is maintaining its close cooperation with Delta Air Lines as part of the trans-Atlantic joint venture.

Between May and September 2015, the seasonal service to Minneapolis-Saint Paul (USA) will be resumed from Paris-Charles de Gaulle. To meet market demand, Air France will be operating a second daily flight to San Francisco (USA) during the peak summer season (from mid-June to the end of August 2015). KLM is also further extending its second flight to Los Angeles to the full summer period, offering 12 weekly frequencies.

Central and South America and the Caribbean

As from March 31, 2015, KLM is launching a new service to Bogota and Cali (Colombia) from Amsterdam-Schiphol with 3 weekly frequencies. As a continuation of the winter season, Air France is increasing capacity to Panama City, with 5 weekly flights. Services to Brasilia (Brazil), launched in summer 2014, are maintained with 3 weekly frequencies.

In addition, Air France-KLM is maintaining its close cooperation with the Brazilian airline GOL, in order to offer numerous connecting opportunities to its customers on the Brazilian domestic network.In the Caribbean, as a continuation of the winter schedule, Air France-KLM is adjusting capacity during the peak summer season. The Company will offer up to 13 weekly flights to Pointe à Pitre and up to 11 weekly flights to Fort de France. Moreover, during the peak summer period, KLM will be operating a second nonstop flight twice a week to Curacao, in addition to the daily flight from Amsterdam-Schiphol.

Asia

Air France is continuing its daily service to Hong Kong (China) by Airbus A380 (5 weekly flights) and by Boeing 777-300 (2 weekly flights). The Company is also increasing capacity to Seoul (South Korea), serving this destination by Boeing 777-300 with 383 seats as well as to Singapore, with three additional flights operated during the peak summer period. Air France is continuing to serve Tokyo-Haneda Airport (Japan) up to 13 times a week in addition to the daily flight to Tokyo-Narita which provides connections to Noumea (New Caledonia).

The Group is also continuing to strengthen its cooperation with its Asian partners to offer an even wider choice of flights and destinations. In particular, KLM and Garuda Indonesia have set up a code-share agreement on both airlines’ flights between Amsterdam and Jakarta (Indonesia). KLM has also signed a cooperation agreement with the Chinese airline Xiamen Airlines, illustrating their commitment to strengthening accessibility between the Netherlands and China.

Africa and the Indian Ocean

As a continuation of the winter season, Air France will serve Abidjan (Ivory Coast) daily, including 3 weekly flights by Airbus A380. The Company is also increasing capacity to Dakar (Senegal), by operating the route from Paris-Charles de Gaulle by Boeing 777-300 with 383 seats.

In East Africa, KLM is continuing to specifically adjust its network to market expectations by increasing capacity to Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Entebbe (Uganda). Both destinations are served non-stop three times a week from Amsterdam-Schiphol, providing new connecting opportunities to Europe and North America in particular. On the other days these destinations are offered respectively as a continuation of the services to Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) and Kigali (Rwanda). KLM is also strengthening its cooperation with its partner Kenya Airways by offering new connections to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Zanzibar and the Indian Ocean, as a continuation of the service to Nairobi airport which boasts new airport facilities.

In the Indian Ocean, Air France serves Reunion Island up to 11 times per week, including 5 night flights.

Middle East

Air France’s new BEST cabins have been flying to Dubai (UAE) since February 23, 2015. In September 2015, these cabins will also be available to Beirut (Lebanon). Furthermore, the Group maintains its code-share agreements with Middle East Airlines, Saudia and Etihad.

New long-haul products and services

Air France-KLM is continuing to roll out new products and services aiming to be among the best in the world.

By the end of the 2015 summer season, the new Air France BEST cabins will equip 20 aircraft and fly to 18 long-haul destinations:

North America: Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Washington;
South America: Sao Paulo;
Africa: Bangui, Douala, Libreville, Malabo, Yaoundé;
Middle East: Beirut, Dubai;
Asia: Beijing, Guangzhou, Jakarta, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo-Haneda.

On its BEST fleet (Boeing 777-200 and 777-300), Air France is adapting to customer demand during the peak summer period (from mid-July to the end of August) by adjusting in just ten hours the seating configuration of its aircraft. This ‘quick change’ can replace certain Business class seats with additional Economy seats. These additional seats correspond to the operation of the 3 additional Boeing 777-200 during the entire season.

Above Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured Boeing 747-406 PH-BFT (msn 28459) now wears the updated 2014 livery.

Furthermore, having renovated its World Business Class cabin on all its Boeing 747-400 (above), KLM is gradually equipping its Boeing 777-200 and then its 777-300 with its new World Business Class and Economy Class. At the end of 2016, 80% of KLM’s fleet will be equipped with fully renovated cabins.

MEDIUM-HAUL: -1.9%

For the 2015 summer season, the Group’s medium-haul capacity is continuing to readjust and is down by -1.9%.

On departure from the hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol

For the 2015 summer season, KLM is expanding its European network on departure from its hub at Amsterdam-Schiphol by adding three new destinations: Belfast (Northern Ireland), Krakow (Poland) and Montpellier (France). These new services will be operated from 18 May 2015 with one daily flight. Furthermore, the number of daily KLM flights to Florence and Basel is increasing from 3 to 4.

On departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Air France is adding a daily flight to Bordeaux (France), Naples (Italy), Billund (Denmark), Bucharest (Romania) and Budapest (Hungary). As of April 2015, the company will be introducing an upgraded product (greater flexibility for business trips, new gourmet attentions) as well as a new leather seat which will be progressively installed on board 24 Airbus A319s. This seat will subsequently equip 25 Airbus A320s during the first half of 2016.

On departure from Paris-Orly and the French regions

As from summer 2015, HOP! Air France is regrouping the entire short-haul network under a single commercial offer. This unified network includes all short-haul routes from Paris-Orly and the French regions. These routes are operated by Air France Airbus or HOP! regional aircraft.

Above Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Hop! For Air France ATR 42-500 F-GPYL (msn 542) taxies at Nantes, France.

HOP! Air France is continuing to restructure its network during summer 2015 –

On departure from Paris-Orly, HOP! Air France is rationalizing its offer to Toulouse, Strasbourg and Mulhouse by decreasing the number of frequencies while increasing the capacity of its aircraft.

On departure from the French regions, as a continuation of the adjustments initiated in the winter, HOP! Air France is suspending its international flights. However, to meet customer demand, certain destinations will still be operated during the summer holiday period, notably routes to Beirut and North Africa on departure from Marseille; Spain, Italy and Greece on departure from Toulouse; Tel Aviv and Athens on departure from Nice.

Transavia: +7.8%

As a continuation of the winter season, Transavia is continuing its rapid development in France (+30%) and is consolidating its operations in the Netherlands (-0.8%).

With the ambition to be the leading low-cost airline in terms of destinations from Paris-Orly in 2015, Transavia France is launching 10 new routes this summer:

– On departure from Paris-Orly: Valencia, Dublin, Munich, Thessaloniki, Tirana, Warsaw, Casablanca, Fez and Amsterdam.

– On departure from Nantes: Madrid.

Furthermore, the company is increasing frequencies on many routes including Barcelona, Madrid, Oporto and Lisbon.

Above Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Now painted in the old 2005 livery, Transavia’s (Netherlands) Boeing 737-7K2 PH-XRE (msn 30668) arrives in Las Palmas.

In the same way, Transavia Netherlands is concentrating its activity on the hub at Amsterdam-Schiphol, where it will offer new frequencies to Tel Aviv, Larnaca, Malta and Paris-Orly. The Company is also increasing its offer of flights to Alicante, Barcelona, Malaga, Pisa, Naples and Thessaloniki.

Transavia Netherlands will also operate a new route from Rotterdam-The Hague to Berlin. On departure from Eindhoven, the service launched to Athens in February 2015 will continue this summer.

To accompany this rapid growth, Transavia has ordered 20 Boeing 737-800, with 17 firm orders and another three options. These aircraft will support the rapid growth of Transavia France and the development of Transavia Netherlands. The delivery of these aircraft will begin in January 2016 and will continue until 2018.

Top Copyright Photo: Christian Volpati/AirlinersGallery.com. Air France’s Boeing 777-328 ER F-GZNE (msn 37432) in the SkyTeam alliance livery taxies to the runway at the Paris (CDG) hub.

Air France aircraft slide show:

KLM aircraft slide show:

Transavia (Netherlands) aircraft slide show:

Transavia (France) aircraft slide show:

Hop! Air France aircraft slide show:

Air France to combine its short-haul, point-to-point operations under the HOP! Air France brand

Air France (Paris) will combine its short-haul, point-to-point operations under the HOP! Air France brand starting in the summer of 2015. Air France is reorganizing it short haul operations due to the increased competition for other low-cost airlines and other forms of travel. The airline issued this statement:

The organization proposal for the Air France Group’s short-haul activity, bringing together Air France’s point-to-point activity and HOP!, was presented this during the Air France Works Council meeting.

This proposal is based on the recommendations of a group of experts submitted to Frédéric Gagey on June 30: for each market need there must be a corresponding and adapted commercial offer and economic model, whether in terms of costs or revenue.

Starting from the summer season 2015, the short-haul activity will be operated by HOP! Air France. Its objective will be to quickly generate value for the Group, and recover profitability on the short-haul market within three years.

A new commercial offer will be introduced to the market during the first quarter of 2015, under the brand name HOP! with the backing of Air France .

This project includes the implementation of a new, simplified structure.

Presented by Lionel Guérin, Chairman and CEO of HOP!, tasked with implementing the new HOP! Air France activity, it will bring together the Air France Point to Point teams from Paray Vieille Poste and the HOP! teams from Rungis at a single center in Montreuil, close to the French market sales agents. There will be no modification, transfer of employment contracts, or transfer of the teams based at Roissy or elsewhere in France.

This new structure will come into effect at the beginning of 2015, for operational implementation from the summer 2015 season onwards.

Frédéric Gagey, Air France Chairman and CEO, added: “The short-haul activity is in competition with trains, cars, and low-cost airlines. We need to restructure our company to be even more responsive, market-oriented and close to our customers. HOP! Air France provides a response adapted to the specific characteristics of the short-haul carrier activity and the travel needs of our customers. I am counting on the efforts of all staff to achieve the ambitious targets for this business”.

The new HOP! Air France will operate 800 flights a day.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 170-100STD F-HBXB (msn 17000250) arrives at EuroAirport serving the Base, Mulhouse and Freiburg area.

HOP! aircraft slide show:

HOP! currently serves these destinations:

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