Air France-KLM to Get New Name After Expansion

The Air France-KLM airline group will get a new name once it completes its expansion by acquiring a majority stake in SAS or taking over TAP Air Portugal.

New name for Air France-KLM

According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith has decided that the airline group will get a new name.

With bids being placed to acquire a majority stake in SAS and a minority stake in TAP Air Portugal, the name Air France-KLM would no longer reflect the carriers that form part of the airline group once another airline is taken over.

If SAS or TAP Air Portugal were taken over, Mr Smith is looking for a more neutral name for the airline group that would no longer include Air France or KLM.

This would be similar to the British-Spanish holding company IAG (International Airlines Group), which consists of airlines such as British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, LEVEL, and Vueling.

An Air France-KLM spokesperson told Telegraaf that it is “absolutely logical” to discuss a name change now that the group is “planning to add new brands to the Air France-KLM group”.

The spokesperson said: “The current name is only reflective of our two historic brands.”

Besides the French flag carrier Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the Air France-KLM airline group currently also consists of low-cost airline Transavia, as well as the cargo airline Martinair.

Possible names

A definitive decision on what the new name for Air France-KLM should be has yet been taken.

However, the working title “The Blue Group” is circulating around Air France-KLM headquarters.

This name would align with Flying Blue, the frequent flyer programme of both Air France and KLM.

A name change of the airline group will not affect the brand names of the individual airlines, as Air France and KLM will continue to operate and be marketed under their own names.

SAS ownership

Of the Air France-KLM airline group’s expansion plans, a possible majority stake in SAS Scandinavian Airlines is the most likely.

The Franco-Dutch airline group already holds a non-controlling minority stake in SAS and has bid to increase its shareholding from 19.9 percent to 60.5 percent.

It is expected that this bid will be fully approved by regulators in the second half of 2026.

TAP Air Portugal takeover

Air France-KLM also hopes to acquire a stake in the Portuguese flag carrier TAP Air Portugal, though it faces competition from Lufthansa.

Both Air France-KLM and Lufthansa have submitted non-binding offers, and the Portuguese government, which wants to privatise the airline, has now asked both groups to submit binding offers.

Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith said: “We value what TAP has built over the last 81 years: a strong Lisbon hub, a strong brand, and a unique value proposition that provides connectivity and pride to millions of Portuguese people.

“We firmly believe that the next chapter of the airline’s history should be written as part of the Air France-KLM Group, building on this legacy and taking TAP to the next level.

“TAP is a natural fit within Air France-KLM’s multi-hub strategy, and our ambition is to strengthen the operations at Lisbon while developing connectivity in other cities across the country including Porto.”

Air France-KLM hopes to leverage its relatively good labour relations in its attempt to take over TAP Air Portugal.

Although Air France has historically been a hotbed of strikes, Ben Smith has managed to drastically improve relations with flight attendant and pilot unions.

This is in stark contrast to the situation Lufthansa is facing, as the German airline has been plagued by multiple strikes involving both flight attendants and pilots, which have brought operations at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs to a standstill on multiple days in recent months.

Conclusion

The Air France-KLM airline group will change its name in the near future once its bid for a majority stake in SAS Scandinavian Airlines is approved, or it manages to acquire TAP Air Portugal.

As the name Air France-KLM would no longer reflect the variety of airlines that will form part of the company, CEO Ben Smith has decided that a name change is the only prudent course.

No decision has yet been made on what the name should be, though at the Paris headquarters the working name “The Blue Group” is being used.