Air France has delivered a highly optimistic evaluation of its future including the potential to start transatlantic services from Heathrow, following the introduction of Open Skies next year.
In a tub-thumping appraisal in Paris today (5 September), of the merger between Air France and KLM, CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta hinted that his carrier could look at launching transatlantic flights from London Heathrow ” ”an extremely powerful market” ” with the advent of the liberalised arena next year.
The Air France boss also insisted that further European consolidation along the lines of Lufthansa-Swiss as well as potential interest in Iberia would drive profitability and competiveness.
Any move at Heathrow would be certain to raise eyebrows on both sides of the Channel, although Spinetta declined to say whether it would be the French carrier or its partners that would make the first move. ”We are trying to estimate what is best ” whether we should be present through our partners or as Air France-KLM,” he noted, insisting that any such development would not cannibalise existing France/Holland-US traffic.
”The market between London and the US is the biggest long-haul network in the world ” of course there is potential for development for our partners and perhaps for ourselves. I am sure that will not cause problems for Charles de Gaulle and Schiphol in Amsterdam,” he said.
The prospect is intriguing if only because British Airways increasingly regards Heathrow as its fortress, although as Spinetta pointed out, Air France”s access to four runways at CDG and multiple tracks at Schiphol, make for hugely strong connectivity potential ” something that must have Willie Walsh gazing towards Paris with a certain envy. In reverse however, Virgin Atlantic has already made noises about establishing a business class only Paris operation among other European bases.
Such connectivity at one of the world”s largest hubs is a factor Air France is keen to champion, citing its ability to handle several Airbus A380 aircraft at once and indeed focusing on using increasingly larger aircraft into CDG. An initial six Air France A380 aircraft will use the new S3 terminal by their delivery date in 2009 ” ”two years late” as Spinetta wryly noted.
Spinetta made his remarks in front of hundreds of journalists from around the world in Paris and on the same day that three new airlines ” Air Europa, Kenya Airways and Copa Airlines joined SkyTeam”s Associate Programme and struck an upbeat tone.
”Our network rationale is complemented by the power of the SkyTeam Alliance and the three new members that have just joined will be strength tend by the addition of China Southern by the end of the year,” he said.
”And in the coming months there will be a number of new [CDG] facilities such as the new S3 terminal that will be completed by the end of 2007.”
However, the glittering new edifices that will shortly adorn Charles de Gaulle”s already impressive airport infrastructure, have clearly not all proceeded smoothly. ”We objected vigorously to passenger charges going up by 45% to fund the new terminal,” he said, adding: [but] ”we have decided to co-operate with Aeroports de Paris.