Employment in France: Air France-KLM plans to recruit more than 1,000 permanent employees within its Maintenance division by the end of 2027

• Just a few days before the launch of Industry Week (November 17-23, 2025), Air France-KLM today welcomed Mr. Sébastien Martin, Minister Delegate for Industry, to its Paris-Orly site dedicated to engine maintenance.

• As the leading private employer in the Île-de-France region, Air France-KLM plans to recruit more than 1,000 permanent employees in France within its Maintenance division by the end of 2027. These positions will be open to both experienced professionals and recent graduates.

• In parallel, the Group will continue to pursue its commitment to supporting young people entering the workforce, offering more than 350 apprenticeship contracts and 300 internships each year at its maintenance sites in Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly / Villeneuve Le Roi, and Toulouse.

• To meet these significant recruitment needs, the Group is focused on diversifying profiles and actively supporting initiatives to promote gender balance in technical professions.

While the Air France-KLM Group is best known for its passenger transport business, it is also a major player in cargo operations and aircraft maintenance.

The Group’s 13,500 Maintenance employees—7,200 of whom are based in France—ensure not only the upkeep of Air France and KLM aircraft, but also maintain more than 3,000 aircraft operated by over 200 client airlines worldwide. Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance is a global leader, with 20 maintenance centers and 8 logistics hubs located across Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Asia.

Nearly 500 permanent contract recruitments per year since 2022

Since the post-Covid recovery, aircraft maintenance activity has been particularly dynamic, generating substantial recruitment needs. Since 2022, Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance has hired nearly 500 new permanent contract employees per year in France. More than 1,000 additional recruitments are expected by the end of 2027, particularly at Paris-Orly, where - in 2023 - Air France-KLM inaugurated a new workshop dedicated to maintaining the latest generation of airplane engines that offer reduced fuel consumption and up to 50% lower noise emissions.

The new facility, representing an investment of nearly €30 million and supported by the French State and the Île-de-France Region, illustrates both Air France-KLM’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact and its commitment to employment in southern Île-de-France.

Mr. Sébastien Martin visited this site today, meeting Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance teams and talking with apprentices currently training in maintenance trades. These young talents come from a variety of backgrounds—engineering schools, apprenticeship training centers such as AFMAé, or partner organizations supported by Air France like Apprentis d’Auteuil or the Jérémy Association.

Each year, Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance offers 350 apprenticeship contracts and 300 internships, enabling young people to acquire highly sought-after skills in the Group’s key areas of expertise: airframe maintenance, engine maintenance, equipment support (electronic, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, aerostructure, etc.), and logistics.

Training, career transition, and promoting gender diversity in technical roles

To address its recruitment needs in a highly competitive sector, Air France-KLM has adapted its HR policies and emphasizes the diversification of applicant profiles.

Beyond recruiting engineers and aircraft mechanics, the Group also welcomes professionals from other industries—such as the automotive sector—offering dedicated training and career transition programs.

In partnership with France Travail, Air France-KLM is also piloting CV-free recruitment initiatives, using practical assessments to identify candidates based on their skills.

Finally, Air France-KLM has long been committed to promoting gender diversity in technical professions, which are too often perceived as male-dominated. The Group also participates in the “Féminisons les métiers de l’aéronautique” initiative and conducts numerous awareness campaigns to encourage young women, from an early stage in their studies, to pursue a technical and scientific education leading to careers in aviation and aeronautics. These efforts are carried out year-round in schools and at events such as the Paris Air Show.

Today, women represent 16% of Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance’s workforce in France. This share has steadily increased in recent years and is expected to continue growing, as over 22% of current apprentices are young women.

All job offers (permanent, apprenticeship, and internship) are available at: https://recrutement.airfrance.com/

Key figures

• Air France-KLM supports more than 550,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs in France.

• The Group generates 1.9% of France’s GDP and contributes 3% to the GDP of the Île-de-France region.

• The Group’s 13,500 Maintenance employees are spread across various sites worldwide.

• In France, maintenance activities are carried out by Air France Industries, with 7,200 employees based at Paris-Charles de Gaulle (60% of staff), Paris-Orly / Villeneuve Le Roi (35%), and Toulouse (5%).

• By the end of 2025, Air France will have recruited 1,500 people on permanent contracts and taken on 1,800 young people on work-study contracts across all its activities.