Air France promotes the employment of people with disabilities through its commitment to working with companies in the Sheltered and Adapted Employment Sector

In the run-up to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3), Air France reaffirms its commitment to the Sheltered and Adapted Employment Sector, which enables people with disabilities to integrate the labour market. In 2023, the company’s investment in products and services with the Sheltered and Adapted Employment Sector amounted to 22.7 million euros, making Air France one of the leading national contributors to this sector, which plays a crucial role in the inclusion of disabled people through employment.

Actively committed in this area for several years, Air France works with multiple adapted employment sector organizations across France. Close to 70 partnerships have been signed with institutions including ANRH (Paris), APF Amiens (Somme) or the adapted company ESAT La Roumanière (Vaucluse). In total, these partnerships represent 800 indirect jobs supported by the company, thus contributing to the 550,000 direct and indirect jobs created by the Air France-KLM Group in France.

These adapted employment sector companies provide Air France with a wide range of services, including:

Cleaning and repackaging of cabin blankets for customers on long-haul flights (16.5 million blankets laundered by the ANRH in Tremblay-en-France, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, in 2023),

Cleaning and repackaging of audio headsets used in the Economy cabin on long-haul flights (1.9 million headsets repackaged by APF in Amiens, in the Somme department, in 2023),

Production and packaging of jams and honey (1.4 million jars distributed annually to customers travelling in La Première and Business cabins supplied by ESAT La Roumanière in Avignon, in the Vaucluse department),

Laundering of work clothing for the company’s 7,500 aircraft mechanics (65,000 uniforms cleaned per year by AIA in Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department),

Manufacture of exoskeletons by Ergosanté, whose head office is based in Anduze, in the Gard department, which are currently being tested by aircraft mechanics for certain engine or cabin maintenance operations,

Industrial and logistical handling at aircraft and engine maintenance sites at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly,

Upkeep of green spaces at the different company sites.

“We have a longstanding commitment to working with the Sheltered and Adapted Employment Sector, which is part of our DNA. We notably promote a policy of integration through employment and sustaining economic activity in the French regions. What we appreciate about working with these adapted employment sector organizations is their ability to listen, their reactivity and flexibility, and especially the dedication and professionalism of their employees”, explains Amaël Berthonneau, Air France Purchasing Director.

Use of companies in the adapted sector is part of Air France’s commitment to employing people with disabilities, as illustrated by the signature of the twelfth disability agreement for 2024-2026. In 2023, more than 6% of the company’s workforce were made up of employees with a recognized disabled worker status.