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Air France
Main severance
PDV-PSE voluntary
Health cover
Statutory portability
Status
Signed
Positions affected
7,580 positions (~16% headcount) — 3,640 ground via PDV-PSE
Context
Why the plan was launched and who is affected
Plan type
Sector crisis
Sites affected
All Air France France bases (Roissy HQ + regional bases) + regional subsidiary Hop!
Rationale & context
Largest post-Covid French aviation plan. Announced July 2020 facing air traffic collapse (-70% vs 2019). 7,580 position cuts — 16% of Air France France headcount. Combination of ground personnel PDV-PSE (3,640 positions) and specific measures for cabin crew and technical crew. Air France received €7B State aid in parallel (loan + shareholder loan), conditional on employment effort — hence PDV-PSE format to limit forced layoffs. Broader: Air France-KLM ~22,000 cuts at group level.
Look here first
Severance
What employees received — legal base, supra-legal, caps
Legal / collective indemnity
This is the minimum guaranteed by your sector's collective agreement. Paid to every affected employee on top of the statutory legal indemnity.
Air Transport collective indemnity — ground personnel
Underlying formula · Managers: specific scale with collective floor. Non-managers: close to legal minimum with seniority bonus.
Supra-legal top-up
The amount negotiated by unions ON TOP OF the legal and collective minimum. Often the largest part of the package.
Voluntary departure supplement (exact amounts not fully published in press)
Notice period
Period between the dismissal notification and the actual departure. The employee remains paid during this time, whether they work or not.
Not specified in the PSE.
Collective minimum · Air transport agreement — ground personnel — Managers: 3 months. Non-managers: 1 to 2 months by seniority.
Example — rough estimate
For a non-manager employee with 5 years of seniority and €3,500 gross/month:
| Collective severance | (2.25 months × €3,500) | €7,875 |
| Supra-legal severance | — | Not publicly disclosed |
Very rough illustrative estimate. Your actual amount depends on your exact reference salary (max of 1/12 of last 12 months or 1/3 of last 3 months, bonuses included — art. R1234-4 French Labour Code), your precise status (manager/non-manager/ETAM), your hire date and your individual situation. For a personalized calculation of the legal indemnity, use the official French Ministry of Labour simulator.
Support
Outplacement, training, retraining aid and mobility
Device type
The scheme to help you find a new job: reclassement leave, CSP, or another mechanism.
Reclassement leave + Air France reclassement antenna
Selection
How departures are decided — criteria and voluntary scheme
Voluntary departures
| Departure cap | 3,640 voluntary departures (ground personnel). Flying crew handled separately. |
| Conditions | Voluntary open. No forced layoffs for the ground perimeter covered by the majority agreement. |
Who can apply for voluntary departure and under what conditions.
Notes & sources
Additional information and references
Notes
Plan announced July 2020 in the Covid-19 crisis context.
- Context: air traffic collapse (-70% vs. 2019) due to Covid-19.
- 7,580 positions cut in total (Air France + regional subsidiary Hop!), or 16% of headcount.
- Ground personnel PDV-PSE component: 3,640 positions.
- Agreement signed by CFDT (majority union on the ground).
- FO Air France (lead ground union) refused to sign.
- Voluntary departures between January 2021 and end of June 2022.
- Air France received €7B of State aid in parallel (loan + shareholder loan).
📄 Europe 1 — Accord majoritaire PDV-PSE Air France (juillet 2020) · View source →