Air France is probably deeper in the crisis than assumed. Now the French government would like to take the badly hit flag carrier under the wings and is negotiating with the Brussels EU Commission.

The group suffered a net loss of just under 6,1 billion euros in the first nine months. Next Thursday, the group will present the business figures for the past year. It all points to a miserable 2020. Various analysts come to the devastating conclusion that the airline will announce a loss of more than seven billion euros. That's why the government is now intervening. As Economic and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in Paris on Monday, representatives of both parties are already in Brussels. 

The talks with EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager are about consideration that Air France has to provide for aid. He left it open what exactly these would look like. However, France insists that the requirements for the airline are justifiable, such as lefigaro.fr reported. The corona crisis hit aviation harder than few other industries. Governments saved Air France-KLM and other airlines such as Lufthansa with financial aid worth billions. At Air France-KLM, the governments in Paris and The Hague stepped in. According to earlier information, the aviation group benefits from financial aid of over ten billion euros, which come directly from the state or are secured by the state.