What role does the Fnam play in the French airline industry?
Lionel Guérin - Nearly 80 % in the commercial air transport sector. That means 220 companies, 17 billion euros in sales, 120,000 direct jobs and almost 500,000 spin-off jobs. So it's only logical that we should be the industry's main point of contact for the supervisory authorities on social, regulatory and economic issues.
How do you rate the health of the sector?
L. G. - More than others, we remain dependent on the slightest variation in demand, given that our operating margins are very low, at around 2 to 3 % on average. We are also facing other challenges: a sustained rise in the price of oil, growing environmental concerns and the threat of 'emission permits', and safety requirements that involve costs that bear no real relation to the real risk. And then there's the specifically French problem of ever-increasing taxes.
Does this French peculiarity affect the airline sector more than others?
L. G. - It's obvious. Between 1996 and 2006, specific costs in the air transport sector rose by 110 %, while inflation was limited to 17 % and the increase in passenger traffic to 45 % over the same period. Difficult to maintain margins in such conditions.
You are announcing a new strategy, focusing in particular on the general public. How is it being implemented?
L. G. - Having noted that our white paper, submitted to the Senate in 2005, had not been followed up, we decided to address consumers more directly in order to influence political decisions. This implies that the FNAM should become a reference platform for everything to do with air transport. But it also means that we need to be better identified. We have set up a press office and we are going to overhaul our website to introduce more dialogue.
After an active fight against the introduction of the "solidarity tax" and the increase in ADP charges, what are your next battles? L. G. - First of all, the issue of ADP charges has not yet been settled, as we lodged an appeal with the Council of State in the spring. Next, apart from issues relating to the environment, safety and European regulations, we are going to take action against the distortions of competition from which French operators continue to suffer: on the tax front, where we are calling for the business tax to be adjusted to take account of our international activities, as is the case in other transport sectors; and on the social front, where we are demanding that all foreign companies setting up in France comply with French social legislation, which is not the case today. There is a real danger for the sector, and the success of the Air France flag should not obscure the overall long-term decline of the French airline industry. In 1996, 43% of international flights departing from France were operated by French airlines. By 2004, this had fallen to 37 %.
Bio express
1956: Born in Paris.
1983: Technical Director of EAS, in charge of fleet maintenance.
1985: Airline pilot with Uni Air, Air Inter, then Air France.
1997: Head of operational standards.
1999: Founder, Chairman and CEO of Airlinair
2003: Chairman of the Fnam and the Chambre syndicale du transport aérien (CSTA).
