The entire board of the Air France KLM airline combine are gathered in Amstelveen on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the naming of a new CEO, the Financieele Dagblad has reported.

There is so much opposition to the naming of Philippe Capron as CEO that the group is now considering naming separate CEOs for the holding company and Air France itself, the paper said. It describes the situation within the combine as ‘explosive’.

Capron’s name emerged last week as a possible new CEO for the group. But both KLM and Delta Airlines, another shareholder and partner of Air France KLM, object on the grounds that Capron had no experience in the aviation industry nor in the role of CEO.

Like his predecessors at Air France KLM, Capron has a privileged relationship with the French government and is a graduate of the prestigious École nationale d’administration, the FD said.

Air France KLM is seeking a replacement for Jean-Marc Janaillac, who quit in May over lack of support for a new pay and conditions pact. He was also largely blamed for the many days lost to strikes which cost the combine some €400m so far this year.

KLM is very profitable while Air France keeps running losses which further undermines the fragile alliance.