After the shock acquisition by the Dutch State of a 12.68% direct interest in Air France-KLM through the purchase of shares, the move has now been officially acknowledged by Air France-KLM Group Board of Directors (see yesterday’s news here: https://www.aviationnews-online.com/editorial-comment/the-dutch-state-acquires-12-68-of-air-france-klm-shares/). Despite media reports, the board states that the acquisition occurred after discussions with all stakeholders including the Dutch state, and the unanimous approval by the Group of the managerial organisation under the leadership of Group CEO Benjamin Smith, “in a spirit of open dialogue and discussion”. The Group also states that it was ready to confirm to the Dutch government “commitments to continue strengthening Schiphol’s development as a European hub and to support KLM’s development”.
Going forward, the board says that it will closely monitor the “consequences of this new participation on the Group, its employees, its governance structure and its market value”, to ensure that there will be no negative impacts on the “new working dynamic of the Group and its companies, recently initiated by the Group CEO”.
IATA: Cooperation key to keeping aviation secure amid evolving threats and doubling passenger demand
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on industry and governments to work together more closely to keep aviation secure in the face of evolving security threats and the forecast doubling of passenger demand to reach 8.2 billion by 2037.
“Flying is secure. But keeping it that way is not an easy task. Threats are evolving. The geo-political landscape is complex. Technology is rapidly changing. And the volumes of both cargo and travellers keeps growing. Global standards and collaboration—among governments and industry—is the bedrock of our continued success,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO, during a speech to the AVSEC World conference in Miami, Florida.