An investigation has revealed that accusations of sexual harassment by Air France flight attendants against male crew members have been ignored. The airline now says it is determined to support victims, but aviation staff say it remains challenging for them to speak out.
Anne Rigail, the CEO of Air France, has promised to strengthen the company's "prevention and victim support system... with a focus on awareness and accelerating the training of all our staff".
The airline will provide staff with an independent listening unit, and set up a dedicated service to tackle sexual discrimination and harassment.
"The protection of our 40,000 employees is a priority," Rigail said, following a meeting with France's transport minister Philippe Tabarot last week. "Everyone must be able to perform their duties without fear of harassment or sexist behaviour."
'He pinned me against the ovens'
Tabarot had demanded "explanations" from the French airline following the publication of an investigation by Radio France in which several female flight attendants complained of widespread sexual harassment, often by superiors.
Staff are angered by a culture that has allowed the normalisation of sexist behaviour, particularly during layovers.
Flight attendant Dominique described a dinner with two pilots, at which she accidentally dropped her credit card near one of their feet.
"He spread his legs, picked it up, then rubbed it against his crotch before putting it in his mouth. Then he leaned over the table, got close to my face, and I realised he wanted me to retrieve my credit card with my mouth."
Sexism and workplace inequality is rife in most areas of French life, research shows
Mathilde, another flight attendant, said she has suffered harassment almost daily during her 20-year career. On one flight, the chief steward grabbed her by the hips and thrust himself against her when she was crouching down.
"I told him to stop and he answered: ‘You don’t realise how much you turn me on.’ He pinned me against the ovens with his hands on my breasts."
The harassment continued at the hotel where the crew were staying. "He pulled me towards him and kissed me in full view of the staff. Then, on the return flight, he grabbed my hand and put it on his penis."
Mathilde informed her superiors but the steward denied the allegations and no action was taken. "His word was obviously worth more than mine," she said. She filed a police complaint but three years on, the investigation is still ongoing.
‘All-powerful’ pilots
Flight attendants are not alone in making these complaints. Lucie, a captain, criticised the way her male counterparts are protected.
"I am an instructor captain. If they behave this way with me, their superior, imagine how they act with the flight attendants," she told Radio France. “Every time I’ve experienced such incidents I reported them to management, but there have never been sanctions. The pilots are all-powerful."
According to a September 2024 audit report commissioned by Air France’s management, nearly half of flight attendants working on long-haul flights find their relationship with pilots uncomfortable or highly uncomfortable.
The report concluded that there is a "status of absolute power among pilots," which is "maintained by management".
French men drawn to 'traditional masculinity', women face sexism: annual survey
Following the Radio France investigation, French newspaper Libération has collected further testimonies. “When I joined Air France [18 years ago] I was told ‘what happens on a layover stays on a layover'," flight attendant Béatrice told the paper.
The unique conditions of the aviation industry can expose staff to this type of behaviour, according to Marjolaine Vignola, a lawyer specialising in sexual harassment in the workplace.
"Working conditions involve close physical proximity and a particular kind of camaraderie among colleagues, especially during layovers. Staying at the same hotel, having a drink at the bar... they’re informal moments, grey areas with high risks of sexual harassment since they blur the lines between professional and personal interactions,” she told RFI.
She also points to a corporate culture with a very gendered hierarchy, "where positions of responsibility are often held by men, and the image of the submissive and dedicated flight attendant in uniform contributes to the level of risk".
'Fear of retaliation'
While the #Metoo movement has helped women in other industries, notably cinema, to speak out, an internal Air France report last year – seen by Radio France – said many women in the company were afraid to do so, fearing they would not be taken seriously.
"The silence reflects the fear that victims feel – fear of retaliation from their employer," said Vignola. "The prevailing silence is symptomatic of a corporate culture that tolerates this type of behaviour."
French film director Ruggia convicted of sexually abusing actress Adèle Haenel
Rigail appeared to address those concerns in an internal video viewed by Libération. Speaking to the company's 40,000 staff, the CEO said: "We must all acknowledge that today, these situations are likely to occur. I expect the entire management team to do everything necessary to ensure that employees can speak up and feel protected."
Staff should be protected by Air France's anti-harassment charter, but the largest of the pilots' unions, the SNPL, has refused to sign it. "This charter is not suited to our nomadic lifestyle," Carl Grain, a captain and the president of SNPL’s Air France section, told Radio France.
However, Alter, another union, takes a different view. David Buchard, a pilot and Alter union representative, said that the Radio France investigation "also reveals a failure of Air France’s management to protect staff".
As early as 2021, Alter had on several occasions alerted management over the "normalisation" of behaviour that could lead to "dramatic" situations, even calling into question "flight safety".
The union has called for in-person training led by external organisations to educate pilots, captains and instructors.
According to Libération, Air France carried out 18 enquiries into alleged sexual harassment in 2023 and 2024, leading to 11 disciplinary sanctions including three dismissals.
The airline has promised to conduct an independent investigation into the latest allegations revealed by Radio France.
