Air France has today revealed that 5 days of strike action by its employees, including ground workers and cabin crew have so far cost the airline €170 million. The figures were released in the Air France-KLM traffic statistics for the month of March and cover a period between 23rd March to 11th April.
The airline has been forced to cancel approximately 30% of flights today as workers stage a 48-hour strike between 10th and 11th April. Unions are demanding an across the board pay raise of 6% for all Air France employees – something, the airline says it simply can’t afford.
In a statement, Air France has called on passengers to postpone their trips wherever possible and has said it is doing everything it can to “minimize the inconvenience” of the strike action. A spokesperson has said the airline hopes to operate 65% of long-haul flights today and up to 80% of short-haul flights.
However, SNPNC union has claimed Air France has been exaggerating the number of flights it has been operating during the walkouts. A coalition of unions which represent different employee groups say they still plan to hold further strikes on the 17th and 18th April, as well as the 23rd and 24th April.
Air France has offered a 1% pay raise and has said its willing to offer certain employees a further increase in order to make up for a loss in purchasing power due to rising inflation. Unions, however, have accused airline management of making the offer in an attempt to divide its members.
