Jean-Charles Corbet facts for kids

Jean-Charles Corbet is a French business leader and pilot. He is known for his long career in aviation. He also led the airline called Air Lib.

Early Life and Pilot Training

Jean-Charles Corbet studied at the ÉNAC in Toulouse, France. He became an airline pilot in 1974. He started his flying career in Gabon. Later, he joined Air France, a major French airline.

Flying for Air France

At Air France, he first worked as a co-pilot. He flew large planes like the Boeing 737 and the Boeing 747. Later, he became a captain on the Airbus A320. He was also qualified to fly the even larger Airbus A340.

Leading Pilots and Airlines

Jean-Charles Corbet became a leader for pilots. He was in charge of the Air France section of the National Union of Airline Pilots. In this role, he organized a ten-day strike at Air France. This happened just before the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Becoming President of Air Lib

In 2001, he became the president of Air Lib. This airline was formed when two other airlines, AOM French Airlines and Air Liberté, joined together.

Efforts to Save Air Lib

In 2001, Jean-Charles Corbet offered to take over the struggling AOM and Air Liberté airlines. He did this through a company called Holdco. His offer was accepted by the court. This was even though he was new to leading a big business.

Financial Support and Challenges

The plan to save the airline included money from Swissair. Swissair was a former owner of AOM. They promised to pay a large amount of money to Holdco. However, not all of this money was paid.

In 2002, there was a change in the French government. The new transport minister decided not to continue a loan that Air Lib had received. They also did not renew the airline's flying license. Because of these decisions, Air Lib went out of business in 2003. This meant that about 3,200 employees lost their jobs.

Legal Review of Funds

After Air Lib closed, a special group in the government looked into how the money from Swissair was used. They also looked at the company's assets, like its airplanes. The head of this group shared their findings with the justice system.

A court case followed to examine the management of the company. The court looked at how the funds were handled. In 2007, the Paris court made a decision regarding the use of the money. The court found that not all the money from Swissair was used for Air Lib. Some money was moved to other companies within the Holdco group.

In 2009, a higher court, the Paris Court of Appeals, confirmed this decision. Jean-Charles Corbet's lawyers said he planned to appeal again. However, in 2010, the highest court in France, the Court of Cassation, rejected his appeal. This made the court's decision final.