Should the French govern- ment supervise and en- dorse Air France-KLM's fleet planning? Are members of France's parliament entitled to determine the aircraft orders of the Franco-Dutch airline group? Is it basically a state-controlled enterprise? Such questions may seem to come from a 20-year-old annual report or political analysis of the airline industry's future. But the sensitive topic is being debated now, when Air France-KLM is preparing to finalize a major aircraft order. It tentatively plans to acquire up to 100 next-generation, long-haul aircraft to replace aging Airbus A340s and Boeing MD-lls. In addition, it may soon order short/medium-haul twin-jets to succeed first-generation A320-100s that entered service nearly 25 years ago.
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