Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith says he has “no regrets” about his decision to remove the Airbus A380 from the group's fleet despite the popularity of passengers.
Air France operated up to 10 examples, but became the first airline to retire from the entire A380 fleet in May 2020 (at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic).
Speaking at the Paris Airlines Forum on June 13, Smith said the A380 is “really great from a customer's perspective,” but the Jets need a “large investment in the cabin” so that it will be a necessary standard along with engine overhauling.
In total, he says the work costs between 50 million and 600,000 euros ($57 million) per aircraft.
What's more, the A380 “is not generating Air France's profits” outside of its peak summer holidays.
Smith points out that even large-capacity aircraft like the A380 are not needed in France as Paris' Charles de Gaulle Hub is not slot-constrained.
Instead, the carrier introduced the A350. This has proven to be “very successful” and “makes far more money” than a two-storey building.
Air France has also started introducing LA Premier First Class products on several Boeing 777-300ers using previous feedback, Smith adds.
He also went to the European Commission for creating a “dangerous” situation for European airlines by burdening regulations such as sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) obligations and other environmental collections that do not apply to global competitors.
“The way these challenges and the way some of the taxes are imposed is truly dangerous for European airlines. We cannot take this seriously by lawyers.
“Someone has to take leadership and responsibility, or European airlines will be significantly weakened because of that,” he says.
Smith points out that Air France-KLM has been one of the leading European SAF buyers in recent years, but in order to achieve its 10% target by 2030, “we must be able to afford it — it needs to exist.”
Additionally, Smith has called for restrictions to be imposed primarily on Chinese airlines (mostly Chinese airlines).
He suggests they should be banned from landing in Europe or from facing “safety fees.”
European airlines have been banned from Russian turbulence since 2022 when Moscow forced a long and costly detour to serve Asian destinations.
