Air France to fire 4 from shirt-ripping protest that forced executives to flee

Air France is firing four employees and suspending 11 more in the fallout from an October union protest that turned ugly, The Associated Press reports.

In that Oct. 5 incident, two Air France executives had their shirts torn from them and had to flee over a fence to escape protesters angry about proposed job cuts.

The firings and suspension are revealed in an internal Air France document obtained by AP. The document says the four terminations are for "physical aggression." The suspensions – which are two weeks without pay – are for damaging company property, according to AP. The disciplinary decisions came after several weeks of investigation.

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AP writes “the Oct. 5 violence shocked many even in protest-prone France, and embarrassed the Socialist government, Air France's biggest shareholder.”

Air France has struggled with losses in recent years and has embarked on a cost-cutting effort to return to profitability.

Like other big European airlines, Air France faces competition on two distinctly different fronts. European budget airlines are expanding across Europe, putting downward pressure on fares and forcing Air France and others to compete for low-yielding budget and leisure travelers on short- and medium-haul routes there.

At the other end of the spectrum, the three big “Gulf carriers” of the Middle East also are expanding rapidly across Europe. Those airlines – Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways – are highly regarded for their service and are funneling an increasing number of travelers between Europe and Asia, Africa and Australia via their hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, respectively.

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