Paris (AFP)
The French airline XL Airways, in cessation of payment, "needs 35 million (euros, ed) to leave," said Friday on RTL CEO Laurent Magnin.
"We are in an unbearable competitive situation for part of the French flag," said Magnin, the day after the declaration of cessation of payment of the company and its application for placement in receivership. He said he regrets being "about to betray" his clients.
"The hope (of a buyer, ed), it will be until the closure of the company, (...). This company needs 35 million to leave, it is a message. there are people who have the means in this country, "he said.
In addition to the "unbridled international competition", Mr. Magnin has questioned a "structural problem of costs (in France, Ed), social charges that are out of the ordinary compared to the rest of the world".
"We continue to discuss, we are helped by the government, it is ambiguous," he said, sending a message to Emmanuel Macron: "we must stop doing defensive, we must do the preventive on the French air transport ".
Based in Paris-Charles de Gaulle, the company employs 570 people. It has transported 730,000 passengers in 2018 on four continents, mainly in North America, including the United States, the Caribbean and China.
Some flights are "likely to be canceled" especially from Monday, passengers are invited to check the status of their flights (via the website www.xl.com or a toll-free number at their disposal +33.3.51.86.00.51) , said Thursday XL Airways.
© 2019 AFP