At its annual congress, the French National Federation of Aviation and Its Professions (FNAM) called for the development of a national strategy to address the many challenges facing the French air transport sector. As an active member of the Federation, CSAE fully supports this initiative, which aims to preserve a sector of excellence that serves both the economy and regional connectivity while ensuring air transport remains accessible to as many people as possible.
The growing challenges facing French air transport
French air transport is facing an increasing number of challenges: competitiveness weakened by taxation, the lasting impact of the fuel price crisis following the tensions in the Middle East, the ongoing effort required to deliver the sector’s environmental transition roadmap, and mounting operational pressures, including the declining performance of France’s air navigation services.
As FNAM President Pascal de Izaguirre noted, “The risk is that France will gradually lose its standing within the European and global aviation landscape.”
Towards an ambitious national strategy
In response, FNAM is calling for an ambitious and coherent national strategy capable of addressing these challenges in a coordinated manner.
Stakeholders across the sector cannot accept the continued erosion of activity. In 2025, France recorded 183 million passengers, representing growth of 1.9% compared with 2019. However, this remained more than three percentage points below the European average, which reached 5%.
The trend continued into the first quarter of 2026. Capacity growth remained 1.5 percentage points below the European average, while domestic traffic declined by 2% compared with 2025 and remained 22% below 2019 levels.
Safeguarding the French air transport sector means preserving the connectivity of our regions, supporting the tourism economy, and sustaining a major source of employment, with more than 95% of industry jobs located in France.
CSAE: Fully committed to the sector’s future
As key players in the airport ecosystem, ground handling companies are fully committed to the collective approach championed by FNAM.
Together with its member companies, CSAE continues to invest in the modernisation of operational tools and to support the sector’s environmental transition, particularly through the electrification of ground support equipment.
This commitment also reflects an unwavering focus on maintaining the highest safety standards, strengthening operational excellence and the efficiency of ground operations, providing long-term training and professional development for employees, and fostering high-quality social dialogue in support of both the sector’s performance and its long-term attractiveness.
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