Sncf says yes to air france deal

WAY OPEN FOR TALKS BETWEEN COMPETITORS TO WORK TOGETHER ON COMMON TRANSPORT PROJECTS. The SNCF and Air France have agreed to discuss common projects for transport in France. Directors have

said that many options are open, such as dedicated airport services and trains run by the airline. The talks come ahead of deregulation moves in railways across Europe, which will put

pressure on airlines. Already the SNCF rents out ten trains a day to Air France to use between Brussels and Charles-de-Gaulle airport, dedicated for airline clients. At present companies

wishing to run trains within another European country, such as German railway group La Deutsche Bahn which operates a service between Paris and Frankfurt, can only run them via an agreement

with a company in that country, like the SNCF. EU regulations will start to allow trips without such arrangements from 2010 with a view to complete deregulation of the rail market by 2017.

Air France director Jean-Cyril Spinetta said the company was aware of the competition it faced, especially with short haul flights. “Our flights can run against the TGV on routes of three

hours or more, but no company, not even the low-costs, can match it for time on routes less than two hours,” he said. Photo:Flying Blue