Air France - KLM boss glad other French airlines have gone bankrupt.

The controversial new boss of the Air France-KLM group says he's glad other airlines in France have gone bankrupt, indicating it would eventually benefit the French aviation industry. 

Ben Smith ordered Air France to drop a rescue bid for Aigle Azur, so it could pick the bones of the carcass and snap up costly airport slots at a fraction of the price, French aviation commentators have said. Officially Air France dropped its part in a rescue bid for the troubled carrier because any takeover would 'harm staff relations.'.

“There is going to be consolidation,” Smith said at a ceremony in Toulouse for the delivery of the first Air France A350. “We believe positive results will come out of it, to ensure that airlines that are based here in France will be stronger to compete globally, - The jobs associated with those larger more powerful airlines will be created here in France.” Smith was speaking just hours after he turned down requests from XL Airways for help.  “We have a stable social environment today in Air France, and we’ve made it clear we’re not going to jeopardise that,” he said. 

Whilst Smith is happy to see French workers out of jobs, he is far from alone, Willie Walsh, the boss of IAG - which owns Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, Level and Vueling is equally content at the current situations. He said that bankruptcies among competitors would help support the group’s growth next year. 

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Hainan Airlines and Aigle Azur successfully complete their inaugural code-shared Paris - Beijing flight

On the 5th September, Flight HU8267/ZI887 took off from Paris Orly Airport at 1:45 pm Paris time, and touched down at Beijing Capital International Airport at 6:35 am on September 6 local time, marking the launch of the code-shared Paris-Beijing service operated by Hainan Airlines and Aigle Azur. The non-stop route will be serviced by an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft six times a week (three times in each direction), including the Paris - Beijing flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the Beijing-Paris flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The service is the second codeshare flight launched by Hainan Airlines and Aigle Azur following the roll-out of their shared Xi'an=Paris route. The new non-stop service provides passengers travelling between China and France with additional travel options.