Paris: Air France warned Tuesday a pilots` strike due next month risked hampering the airline`s painstaking recovery just as the company is emerging out of the woods after years of losses.
The strike from May 3 to 30, which is not exclusive to Air France and has been called by the country`s main SNPL pilots` union, will see pilots stop work at specific times every day.
In a letter to the union, Air France`s chief executive Frederic Gagey said the strike "is taking place at a crucial time in Air France`s recovery".
After six years of financial losses that led to radical cost-cutting measures including thousands of job cuts, the airline is aiming to generate a positive operating income this year -- a target it says could be damaged by the strike.
"It seems inconceivable that a strike, the grounds of which in no way concern Air France, can curb this momentum," Gagey said.
The pilots will protest against a law stipulating that those who strike must declare their intention to do so 48 hours before the start of a work stoppage.
The regulation was put in place to give airlines more time to warn passengers about flight disruptions, but the SNPL believes it actually allows them to hire temporary replacement pilots from other European countries.
According to union head Yves Deshayes, there were no flight cancellations or delays during the last pilots` strike at easyJet as the low-cost airline was able to replace all pilots who work in France.
But in a statement, Air France said the fixed timings chosen by the union to stop work each day (0345 GMT to 0545 GMT and 1045 GMT to 1345 GMT) "are particularly penalising for Air France and its customers".
It said the early morning work stoppage would disrupt medium-haul flights and the afternoon strike would affect long-haul departures.
Connections at the Charles de Gaulle Paris airport, the heart of the airline`s activities, would also be significantly hindered, the airline said.
"To avoid this situation and out of respect for its customers, Air France will be forced to cancel the majority of flights operated by striking pilots. Only a very limited number of flights will be rescheduled," it said.
