It is in the sumptuous setting of the Cercle de l’Union Interalliée that a dozen members of the association ORAJe, supported by Pascal Parant, Michel Dubarry and Vincent Mériaux, had the great pleasure of welcoming Pierre-Olivier Bandet, Deputy General Manager Fleet and Network of Air France.
After a short presentation of ORAJe by Julie Guth, President of the association, the rest of the morning is devoted to a round table driven by Pierre Olivier Bandet. The discussions begin with a presentation of his career, from his studies to his current position, through his arrival at Air France and his short stint in a consulting company.
Pierre-Olivier then goes on to describe the challenges he faces on a daily basis and more generally those to which the Air France KLM group has to face: various topics such as logistics, geopolitics and competition follow one another to the delight of participants.
A question-and-answer session is then put in place to address the issues that are important to everyone. Unsurprisingly, the question of the place of youth within Air France is discussed at the beginning, followed by the major challenges that an airline may encounter at the moment. The future of Air France and the answers to current issues are discussed from several angles. Competition with other airlines but also alternative means of transport such as the train, the impact of BREXIT and buy-backs or partnerships between companies were discussed.
Another subject that was particularly followed: the recent appointment of Canadian Benjamin Smith to head Air France. The latter must meet the challenges mentioned, but already knows the strengths of the largest French airline!
Located on the 2nd largest European airport in terms of traffic and one of the most visited cities in the world, Air France enjoys this location which allows it to have a network of more than 180 destinations worldwide.
In conclusion, this conference was extremely enriching for all parties thanks to a great openness and a nice interaction between all the participants. As students, it was a great opportunity for us to discuss with Pierre-Olivier, we will keep a very strong memory.