Chief Executive Officer, Air France, Air France (Société Air France S.A.)
MOTS POUR MEAUX | Ep 8 "Air France : vers une consommation plus écologique." Anne Rigail
Pour ce 8ème épisode, Anne Rigail, PDG d'Air France, participait à une table ronde sur la décarbonation des secteurs portuaire et aéroportuaire à l’occasion du colloque hydrogène. Elle est revenue avec nous sur les différentes étapes d'intégration de l'hydrogène dans la mutation énergétique opérée par Air France pour une consommation plus écologique.
Le 15 octobre 2024 s’est tenue la deuxième édition des Rencontres RMA. L’occasion d’échanger avec les acteurs de la transition écologique dans le cadre d’un colloque sur l’hydrogène, qui réunissait de nombreuses personnalités : élus, chefs d’entr...
About Anne Rigail
In a March 2022 conference, Anne Rigail discussed Air France's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of geopolitical uncertainty on the airline. She stated that Air France had received 7 billion euros in state-backed loans and was required to meet commitments on competitiveness and the environment, but had not committed to purchasing only Airbus aircraft. Rigail noted that business travel demand had declined, with corporate clients making up about 40% of passengers in March 2022, and acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding future demand. Rigail also addressed the airline's environmental impact, stating that air transport accounts for approximately 2.6% of CO2 emissions, but warned that without action this could rise to over 20% by 2050. She discussed Air France's use of sustainable aviation fuels and the company's position on a European kerosene tax. Additionally, Rigail encouraged women to pursue careers in aviation and technology, noting that the airline was hiring for digital and data roles.
Transcript (10 segments)
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Narrator0:00
Welcome to 'Mot pour Mot', the podcast from the city of 'Mot'. Every week, a new guest will shed light or expertise on a theme dear to our city, such as culture, education, health. I'll meet you every week for a new episode available on all streaming platforms and on the city's website. Until then, enjoy this 7th episode. We met with key players in the ecological transition as part of a symposium on hydrogen. Indeed, on October 15th, the 2nd edition of the 'Rencontres Roissy-Ma Aérople' was held, bringing together many personalities: elected officials, business leaders, university presidents, to conduct a major reflection on decarbonization and new energies. In this context, we met a key player who honored us by being our guest.
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Anne Rigail1:01
Hello.
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Interviewer1:03
You are the CEO of Air France. Today you participated in the symposium organized by the 'Je de Roissy-Ma Aérople' in partnership with ADP. For those who don't know, Roissy-Ma Aérople is a joint interest group that brings together nearly 110 municipalities, the driving forces of a territory close to the largest airport in France, Roissy Charles de Gaulle. Why is it important for you to be here, in this collective reflection on hydrogen, to meet other players in the ecological transition, and what inspiring ideas have you gathered?
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Anne Rigail1:31
It was important because, as you know, our decarbonization trajectory is a complex path with heavy financing. Hydrogen plays a major role, not so much for aircraft that would run on liquid hydrogen, but for the crucial role of the hydrogen molecule in synthetic fuels, which are essential in our decarbonization trajectory. So seeing all the players in the chain—local authorities, different departments, energy companies, policymakers—commit to this decarbonization path for maritime and aviation is absolutely vital for us, who are ultimately the end users, and it's indispensable for our decarbonization.
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Interviewer2:20
Absolutely. The decarbonization of the aviation sector is obviously one of the major challenges for Air France, we understand. Today, you are one of the first airlines to have integrated it, notably by using more sustainable fuels since 2011, if my memory serves me correctly. I know that in 2020 you removed very fuel-hungry aircraft from your fleet, particularly the A380 and the A340. What are the next steps for Air France in this energy transition?
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Anne Rigail2:46
Indeed, our ambition is to reduce our CO2 emissions per passenger-kilometer by 30% by 2030 compared to the 2019 baseline. That's a real ambition that requires pushing all the levers at our disposal to the maximum. There aren't that many. The first is indeed to replace all our old aircraft with new-generation ones, going from only 7% new-generation aircraft to about half by 2025 and 70% by 2030. Because each aircraft we replace with an Airbus A350 or Airbus A220 will save us 20 to 25% of CO2 per flight, so that's currently the most powerful lever. We are also developing eco-piloting, more optimized trajectories, and airport decarbonization, but that represents 4 to 5%. So the key for the future is precisely the production of these more sustainable aviation fuels—either biofuels or synthetic fuels—that will ultimately allow us to achieve full decarbonization.
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Interviewer3:53
Very well. So, what role will hydrogen play in this decarbonization strategy?
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Anne Rigail3:58
As I said, today we purchase—and we are very proud to be the first group and the first airline in terms of sustainable fuel purchasing—but we buy what is available, which is biofuels from biomass. We know that biomass will not be unlimited and that after 2030 we will need synthetic fuels. What is a synthetic fuel? It is produced from hydrogen molecules and CO2, through a reaction that ultimately produces synthetic kerosene. So it means not using fossil fuel but rather recycling CO2. It is absolutely essential that this industry, which is currently at the research stage, takes off and that volumes of synthetic fuel become available from 2030 at prices accessible to airlines. The challenge is also economic.
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Interviewer4:53
So the challenge is both to make our decarbonization possible—since again, without synthetic fuels, on paper we cannot achieve it—but also at economic conditions that are viable for airlines, which of course integrate these decarbonization surcharges into their offering to customers. Very well, thank you very much, Anne Rigail. See you soon, have a nice day.
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Anne Rigail5:16
Thank you.