Air France's pilots union has voted in favor of Air
France-KLM's plan to launch a new airline to compete with Gulf carriers
Emirates, Etihad and Qatar on Asia routes.
The vote means that Air France-KLM can move forward with the
creation of its Boost airline project this autumn.
More than 78% of the union voted to support Boost during the
referendum that lasted from June 20 through July 17, Air France-KLM said.
The new airline will operate out of Paris Charles de Gaulle
alongside Air France. It won't necessarily be a low-cost carrier, but its cost
structure will be lower than Air France's, facilitating competition with the
Gulf carriers.
The Air France-KLM subsidiary will have a fleet of 10 long-haul
aircraft by 2020, the company said when it announced the Boost project last
fall.