Air France pilots 'end strike'

Air France pilots on Sunday decided to end a two-week strike over the budget carrier, Transavia, a spokesman for the airline's main pilots' union, SNPL, said.

Guillaume Schmid told AFP news agency that the pilots were ending the protest so that negotiations over Tranavia could be carried out in "a calmer climate." Air France on Monday proposed suspending a plan to work with a low budget airline until the end of the year to allow for "in-depth dialogue."

A spokesman for the sister Air France pilot union, SPAF, confirmed in comments to Reuters news agency that the SNPL had decided to end the strike.

The walkout, which began on September 15, cost the airline up to 20 million euros ($25 million) a day, amounting in all to more than 200 million euros ($250 million) in lost revenue.

It started over the announcement in the first week of September by KLM-France of a plan, which would see much of Air France's European operations - and jobs - transferred to Transavia.

Air France pilots, who earn up to 250,000 euros ($317,102) a year, fear some of their flights will be replaced by Transavia services, whose pilots would earn up to 160,000 euros ($202,945). A demand by the Air France pilots that captains in both units receive the same contract was rejected by the airline, which said this would be incompatible with the low-cost nature of Transavia.

No agreement has yet been struck with the airline's management, but talks resumed on Saturday night.

The strike was the longest in the history of Air France.

tj/sb (AFP, Reuters)