C
lass & Relax Lifestyle Magazine : Jean-Paul Dubreuil, you founded and ran the Dubreuil Aéro Group, which includes Air Caraïbes and French Bee, for almost half a century. With all these years at the helm of the group, what do you think of the theme of this year's World Connect? Is it political or is it eco- nomic that drives the development of air transport? Jean-Paul Dubreuil: For me, of course, the answer is clear: it's economic. Politics has to be there to sup- port and facilitate, which isn't always the case, but I think we also need entrepreneurs who have the cou- rage in this business, which is high-risk after all, with fluctuations linked to external factors that make things complicated, to take initiatives. We have been able to make things happen over time and adapt to the environment and the opportunities that presen- ted themselves. We've had discussions with politi- cians when we've had problems to solve; the ans- wers aren't always obvious. Class & Relax Lifestyle Magazine: You're a fine example of an entrepreneur, but during such a difficult period as the COVID pandemic, for example, you still had the support of the political authorities, didn't you? Jean-Paul Dubreuil: I'd say that during the pande- mic, the government's attitude towards the business world was positive, with the introduction of short- time working and sectoral aid. But we were still dea- ling with the general situation, with what already existed. The case of Air France is different because the State is also a shareholder: it had to preserve the flag and the size of the company. Class & Relax Lifestyle Magazine: Do you some- times get the impression that there is a double stan- dard in the aid granted? Jean-Paul Dubreuil: You know our position on Corsair. We are completely flabbergasted to see the specific aid granted to this company, which does not correspond to a public service need, because the public service is already provided by the existing air- lines. There is no reason why one of these companies should be favoured over the others. At the end of the day, just because someone is going to put up 15 or 20 million, it doesn't mean that the State has to lose 200 million in return. The whole thing is completely disproportionate. We have suffered colossal losses for three years, since there were the two Covid years, and then the start of the war in Ukraine, where we still suffered, on a current account basis, problems with the price of oil and at the same time linked to the dollar. Fortunately for us, in 2023, the market woke up: it was able to accept price increases, which all the air-
lines were obliged to apply, and we returned to a favourable climate. The year 2024 will see a further fall in prices: on the one hand, oil prices have fallen, but beyond that, we realised that there was a certain level at which the market would no longer accept current prices. So today, we're in a situation of fal- ling prices: we have to adapt and be able to make money despite this. I mentioned Corsair, along with Air Caraïbes: we're also up against competitors with French Bee, like Norse Atlantic Airways. We saw what happened with Norwegian Airlines: the passen- gers were the ones who suffered, but no one seems to have learned any lessons from it. With Norse, we're expecting the same scenario. We know that we operate in an environment where there are always epiphenomena, but we're on the right track, we're working for the long term, even if we would have preferred things to have happened a little different- ly. That in no way detracts from our satisfaction at having created French Bee, which is doing well in these markets. Class & Relax Lifestyle Magazine: Marc Rochet, you set up Aérogestion in 1999, and for many years you were Chairman of Air Caraïbes and French Bee. Is Air Transport driven by politics or by economics ? Marc Rochet: I remain deeply convinced that politi- cians should not intervene. It's up to the professio- nals involved in the industry to develop products that take into account the best possible economic performance, based on the principle that the price of a plane ticket should remain accessible to everyone. Airline managers and executives, for their part, must ensure that air transport is fundamentally safe, but also efficient, modern, customer-oriented and envi- ronmentally sensitive. In France, for decades, the relationship between the French state and the natio- nal airline has left much to be desired in many res- pects. The first of these is that, if this relationship had been effective, if it had been balanced, the state would be defending our flag, as is so often said. However, the French flag for all flights departing from France and, of course, arriving in France, is in continuous decline. We've been losing 1% market share every year for over 20 years, and it's conti- nuing, to the benefit of foreign airlines. When it comes to air transport, France is blessed by the gods. It is at the barycentre of economic Europe. It is the bearer of all its aviation history: there are people, personnel of very high quality and very high motivation who are there to serve these missions. If we had an effective poli- cy, we would know. But this is not the case. Now we have to look to the future. We'll see at World Connect that there's less political interference because there are fewer state budgets, and that's all to the good, because everyone will gain in efficiency.
Marc Rochet
57
~B O R N T O B E A B I R D - 2024 ~
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software