Jean-Marc Janaillac, chairman and CEO of the Air France-KLM Group. (Photo provided to China Daily)
As the first European carrier serving China, Air France-KLM vows a continuous bespoke service for the market
Air France-KLM says its passengers will be impressed by the many new Chinese cultural features it is now offering on its services between China and Europe－including Chinese interpreters and a lavish Chinese menu.
The changes have been customized for the Chinese market by the aviation group, which boasts long links to the Chinese market. Air France launched its Paris-Shanghai route way back in 1966 with its Boeing 707 "Chateau de Cheverny". It was the first European airline flying to China, and the first international flight from China to the West.
This September, less than two months after taking up the position as Chairman and CEO of the Air France-KLM Group, Jean-Marc Janaillac made Shanghai his first overseas destination, as part of the 50th anniversary to mark the launch of the landmark link between China and Europe.
Janaillac recently talked with China Daily about the airline's strategy. The following are edited excerpts from the interview.
What is the impact of the slower economic growth on your business?
Plane travel is directly linked to economic growth. Right now not only routes between China and Europe, but also other international routes are seeing less demand. All the airlines are affected.
We have a very good revenue management system, which enables us to do better than our competitors in terms of the reduced revenues.
Although the economy and global situation are not as strong as before, I think the market is going to see a healthy growth of Chinese tourists to Europe.
And our partnership with China Eastern and China Southern allows us to have direct connections to many Chinese cities.
What's Air France-KLM's biggest achievement in China?
Air France and KLM were the first European airlines to fly to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan and Xiamen. We have been investing continuously to strengthen our network connecting Europe to China. Today, Air France-KLM is the leading European carrier in terms of capacity from Europe to China and we will maintain our focus to further enhance our products, services and destination possibilities in China.
How have your online ticket sales on Alibaba's e-commerce platform performed?
It's worked. Since February our online sales has grown significantly, by between 10 percent and 15 percent, while our traditional business is a bit down.
We expect to greatly enhance our online sales revenues for Air France-KLM in China, and to promote the group's recognition among Alibaba's huge consumer database.
