Air France deploys a new commercial strategy for regional departures.

The new challenge for Air France is to strengthen its competitiveness and cut operating costs, while offering attractive prices and guaranteeing long-term employment.  With its reorganisation, requiring the opening of four regional bases - including Marseilles, the pioneer site - the company is creating a new type of airline. 

A commercial offensive launched from Marseille-Provence Airport…

As from 2 October this year, Marseilles will be on the front line with the opening of Air France's first regional base.  13 new direct routes will be on offer, flying from the Marignane air terminal.
-    In France: Bâle-Mulhouse, Biarritz and Brest.
-    In Europe: Athens, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Eindhoven, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow and Prague.
-    Around the Mediterranean basin:  Beirut and Istanbul.
-    In Morocco:  Casablanca.

This new substantial reinforcement, i.e. the increased presence of Skyteam, one of the leading air transport alliances in the world, puts Marseille-Provence Airport in a much stronger position to become the major Euro-Mediterranean hub that companies have been calling for.  This is why Provence Promotion supports this decision.

In addition, Air France plans to increase the number of seats on offer by 50%, thereby capturing an extra 1.3 million passengers. 

In the spring of 2012, three other bases are scheduled to open, at Toulouse, Nice and Bordeaux. Eventually, 54 new direct routes will fly from these regional airports.

This increase in service capacity is accompanied by attractive prices, with one-way tickets from €50 including VAT. However, low cost travel does not necessarily mean minimum service.  The company has undertaken to maintain its level of service, which is its "trademark" in the air transport industry.

... based on a reorganisation of the company

To ensure the success of its new strategy, which is based on a 15% decrease in operating costs, Air France is counting on various levers:

-    use of a single type of aircraft - the Airbus A320, with 142 to 178 seats – enabling the company to optimise fuel consumption and rationalise repair and maintenance costs;
-    optimisation of aircraft rate of use, set to increase from 8 hours 15 minutes per day to 11 hours 40 minutes, generating an estimated productivity gain of 40 %;
-    flight personnel based in the regions;
-    better use of human and material ground resources throughout the day by introducing closer coordination between ground staff and flight personnel.

A new business model for Air France ...

The ambitious objective of this new Air France strategy is to develop the company's short and medium haul network and return to profitable growth.

Apart from strategic aspects, this new business model implemented by the company is intended to be a unifying force for all Air France employees.  After all, the increase in the company's activity thanks to the reorganisation should consolidate Air France's position as an employer in the relevant regional employment markets.

… And an official partnership signed with the Marseille Provence 2013 association

In parallel to this reorganisation of its teams, the company has announced the signature of a partnership with the Marseille Provence 2013 association. Air France thereby becomes the official air carrier for Marseilles European Cultural Capital in 2013.

This is a great double for Marseilles; not only has the city been chosen as the pilot site for deployment of the new Air France strategy, but it has also acquired a key partner to make the Marseille Provence 2013 Euro-Mediterranean project a success.