Air France plans to derive growth above the market rate of 15% this year. This growth is based on the development of the activities of French multinationals, the development of the SME sector and the high number of Romanians working abroad, according to Rodolphe Lenoir, general manager of Air France Romania.
“The loyalty product focused on SMEs that we launched last year saw growth way above our expectations,” stated Lenoir. Beside SMEs, an important role in the development of the French operator”s business was played by the French multinationals present on the Romanian market and the significant flow of Romanians visiting their families and friends abroad, Lenoir believes.
He chose not to disclose the level of turnover the company derived last year in Romania, but, in line with market information, Air France”s business in Romania last year overshot 20 million euros. Thus, developments this year will take Air France”s turnover above 23 million euros.
At present, Air France operates five daily flights, three of which are directly operated by the French company and two through a contract with Tarom, which this year agreed to join the Sky Team alliance. “Tarom”s entry into the Sky Team alliance is strengthening our position on the market,” explained Lenoir.
One of the latest trends seen by the Romanian market has been the entry of low-cost operators. “In other countries such as Poland or Hungary, the airline market has swelled, but this has also marked the entrance of low-cost operators that grew with the market. At present, these operators will not harm Air France”s activity in Romania since they offer 3 weekly flights to France, while we have 3 daily flights,” Lenoir also said. He says that another tendency noticed with regard to air travel has been the use of e-services. “We were one of the first companies to launch electronic tickets, three years ago, and since then we”ve witnessed annual growth of 50% for these types of sales. We have invested in introducing this technology on the Romanian market, and though this type of sales is not greatly used in Romania, we are preparing for a boom on this market segment,” Lenoir also said.
Air France has lately cut the price of its tickets by 20%, both for economy and business class, in line with market demands. The cheapest ticket offered by Air France is the Bucharest-Paris route and stands at 199 euros.
Other companies operating on the Romanian market for international air passenger transportation are the national airline Tarom as well as international companies such as Lufthansa, KLM, British Airways, Swiss Air, Austrian Airlines, Alitalia, Malev, LOT and CSA. lavinia.marin@zf.ro