Transavia France (TO, Paris Orly) will see its fleet grow from the current 16 to 21 by next summer after 53% of its pilots voted in favour of the move. Though roughly 60% of its largest union, Syndicat National des Pilotes de Ligne (SNPL), approved the measure in a vote held last week, the SNPL's council has held out on ratifying the motion.
In a statement issued on Friday, December 5, the SNPL said it doubted Air France CEO Alexandre de Juniac's sincerity in shelving the controversial Transavia Europe project, a key concession management made in order to lift a devastating two week-long pilot strike back in September.
"Air France ALPA doubts the real will of Air France-KLM Royal Dutch Airlines CEO Alexander Juniac, to permanently shelve his 'Transavia Europe' project. As of this posting, we are still waiting for correspondence which explicitly confirms commitments made during the agreement's negotiation," the SNPL said.
The agreement provides for Transavia France's growth to thirty-seven B737-800s by 2019. In return, integrated career management for pilots at Air France and Transavia will be introduced, including a joint seniority list. To date, more than 200 Air France pilots have volunteered to fill the 72 positions available at Transavia France.
According to the French press, with the demise of its Transavia Europe project, the Franco-Dutch carrier is now considering partnering established budget carriers such as Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) and Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) to provide it with regional European coverage for its longhaul services.
