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Air France grounds one 787 over union pilot training conflict

Air France said it would be forced to ground one of its new Boeing 787 aircraft and reduce its flight frequency from Paris to Guangzhou, China over a disagreement with its main pilot union the SNPL about pilot training. The news comes as Air France is locked in a wider conflict with its unions over pay: the airline group has launched a company-wide staff consultation on its latest pay proposal in a bid to break the deadlock, but 3 unions have called for a further 4 days of strike action May 3, 4, 7 and 8, which would bring the total number of days of strike action in recent weeks to 15. From May 2, the carrier will operate 3X-weekly to Guangzhou from its Charles de Gaulle hub, instead of 5, using a Boeing 777 on the route to replace the 787, a spokesman said. <br/>