An “MBS Start-up Week" dedicated to environmental transition in the Air France Ecosystem

For the 7th edition of its Start up week, the Montpellier Business School (MBS) chose to interest 800 of its students in the Air France ecosystem, and to focus their thinking on ways of accelerating the environmental transition of the entire air transport sector. Organized into nearly 100 multidisciplinary teams, all the students in their final year at MBS took part, illustrating a wide range of skills ranging from strategy to marketing, economic modelling and entrepreneurship.

Anne Rigail, CEO of Air France and Anne-Sophie Le Lay, Corporate Secretary of Air France-KLM, were part of the final jury on Friday 8 January, alongside MBS directors and teachers.

“The Start-Up Week has produced many innovative concepts that could contribute to the ecological transition of the aviation sector. It responds to our desire to learn from the ideas in our ecosystem, and to the Air France Group's commitment to the student population,” said Vincent Etchebehere, VP Sustainability and New Mobilities at Air France. 

During the challenge, launched on the morning of Tuesday 5 January, students had just 4 days to come up with a value proposition and a feasible and viable business model in response to the Start-up Week theme.

The responses covered a wide range of innovative ideas, including an ecological travel comparator, technological solutions to improve the aerodynamics of aircraft, solutions for recycling aircraft parts and the sustainability of uniforms and service items on board aircraft. It was a solution to reduce CO2 emissions thanks to a lubricant coating regularly applied to the aircraft's fuselage that won the competition. The highly competitive selection process ended with a final pitch delivered online and remotely in front of the jury and all 800 participants - a high-flying exercise performed remarkably well by all the finalists!

The theme of this Start-up Week was in line with Air France's ambitious objectives in terms of sustainable development, to reduce and offset CO2 emissions, both in the air and on the ground, reduce non-recycled waste and minimize the noise footprint. As part of the Horizon 2030 programme, the company has committed to reducing its CO2 emissions per passenger-kilometre by 50% between now and 2030 through major investments in favour of renewing its fleet with new-generation aircraft, accelerating the use of innovative solutions to reduce fuel consumption and the gradual use of alternative sustainable fuels.