Buy Air France-KLM shares, employers’ chief tells Dutch government
The Dutch government should spend €400m buying shares in airline Air France-KLM to secure Dutch vested interests, the head of the country’s biggest employers’ organisation said on Tuesday.
Hans de Boer says in the Telegraaf that the problems the merged company is currently experiencing may have an impact on the Dutch air network, which centres on Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
If KLM is forced to scrap direct flights because of the financial situation facing the company, this will hit both jobs and the national economy, De Boer says.
The French state holds a 20% stake in the company but the Dutch have no shares at all, De Boer states. This means the Netherlands has no input when difficult decisions have to be made.
Air France-KLM posted a loss of nearly €200m on turnover of €25bn last year and last week it emerged that 2,900 jobs are set to go. This led to riots and attacks on management at the company’s French headquarters.
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