Air France-KLM CEO confident of rebound in 2017

Employees work on an Airbus A380 plane inside the Air France KLM maintenance hangar near Paris, France.[Photo/Agencies]

Although terrorist attacks and visa requirements have impacted Air France-KLM, the group is still confident of a business rebound in 2017, its chairman and CEO said on Thursday.

"Of course, terrorist attacks in Europe impacted the number of passengers choosing our airlines this year, especially from China. We have seen a quite important decrease in the number of groups, which is partly made up by other visitors. The Schengen Visa process is also having a negative impact on the number of Chinese tourists going to Europe," said Jean-Marc Janaillac, chairman and CEO of Air France-KLM Group, at the celebration of the carrier's 50 years in China.

"But we are quite confident that we are going to see a rebound in 2017, since we've noticed that situation has stabilized now," he noted, adding that efforts have been made to convince Chinese travelers that it is interesting and safe to go to Europe.

In late July, Air France-KLM issued warnings about the impact on revenue this year of the recent attacks in France and political upheaval elsewhere, which led to a drop in sales.

"There is clear pressure on France as a destination," chief financial officer Pierre-Francois Riolacci said.

According to a report by the Irish Examiner, travelers from China and Japan in particular were staying away. Furthermore, lower ticket prices will more than cancel out any savings from lower fuel bills this year.

Since October, 2015, tourists from East Asia, including China, are required to provide biometric data, including fingerprints of both hands and a digital photo, when applying for the Schengen Visa, according to a China Daily report.