French government sets green conditions for Air France bailout

Air France must slash domestic flights and agree to work towards becoming the world’s “most environmentally friendly” airline, if it is to satisfy the conditions of its government bailout. French finance minister Bruno Le Maire detailed the conditions to a parliamentary economics committee on 29 April, and has posted a video on Twitter in which he summarises the government’s expectations of the airline. The French government wants Air France to halve its overall carbon-dioxide emissions per passenger-kilometre by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. This is in line with plans already set out by the airline. The CO2 reduction target for domestic flights, however, is even more stringent: the finance minister is calling for a 50% reduction by the end of 2024. “As soon as there is a rail alternative to domestic flights with a duration of less than 2.5h, these domestic flights will have to be drastically reduced and limited to hub transfers,” says Le Maire. The French government is also calling on Air France to renew its fleet with more efficient aircraft, and to commit to sourcing 2% of its fuel requirements from sustainable sources by 2025. <br/>