Air France and Veolia Transport Plan to Set Up Joint Venture

Air France-KLM Group and Paris-based Veolia Transport, part of the Veolia Environnement group, plan to form a joint venture to set up a rail passenger service, revealed media reports.

If the joint venture is successful, it is expected to reduce short-haul flight services on the Paris-Frankfurt route, which is linked by high-speed rail links.

The airline also plans to run its own branded trains from Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport to destinations across Europe, in collaboration with Veolia.

According to media reports, high-speed rail connectivity between Paris and Brussels has nearly eliminated flight services on the route.

“Air France and Veolia Transport are looking at the possibility of concluding a strategic partnership that would lead to the emergence of a new player in European high-speed rail,” Bloomberg quoted Air France spokeswoman Brigitte Barrand as saying.