“We have asked our American partner to conduct an external analysis,†said Véronique Brachet, a spokeswoman for the French carrier, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. But she said talks with Delta on the unusual request have not been finalised. The Air France-KLM group has a marketing alliance with Air France.
Air France chief executive Pierre- Henri Gourgeon had earlier said that the carrier would commission outside analysts to review its safety practices, in part because the crash remains unsolved.
The crash has focused attention on Air France’s safety record and pilot training. The carrier has had four significant accidents since 1999 andGourgeon said that before the crash, Air France’s accident record was better than the global airline-industry average, but now is average.
Gourgeon added that because the cause of the crash may never be known, Air France is addressing a broad range of possible problems behind it. “Even if we don’t know the reason, people must be certain that no stone has been left unturned,†he said.
It’s not the first time Delta – which has a strong safety record – has been asked to assist in safety-related issues; In the late 1990s, Korean Air, then plagued by safety lapses, tackled those problems in part by enlisting Delta’s aid in the form of a safety audit.
