SNPL

SNPL, the Syndicat National des Pilotes de Ligne, is the French airline pilots union. It is also known as SNPL France ALPA. Its offices are at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport in France. It serves professional pilots and pilots in training.

Membership is open to professional pilots and to those about to become one. Members get a legal service that gives information, advice and support, both for groups and for individuals. They can also use professional legal protection. The union has technical experts, accident investigators and tax specialists.

A technical commission, called the Cometec, gives expert advice to elected union officers. A pensions commission does the same for retirement matters and follows changes in the rules. The union also has elected representation for retired pilots, pilots looking for work and pilots in training.

Since May 2016, a listening and support unit has helped members who lose their licence, for a short time or for good. It guides pilots through administrative, medical and money matters and keeps their details private. The union also runs a programme called CIRP for pilots who face a hard event at work.

SNPL is active abroad. It helps foreign pilots in trouble in France. With partner associations in ECA and IFALPA, it also helps French and foreign pilots outside France.

The union publishes a monthly magazine, La Ligne, on union news and air transport, a yearly Cometec special, and a quarterly review, ICARE. It also publishes papers on the pilots' pension fund, taxes and other topics. It offers mobile apps, and its news covers topics such as cabin air quality and the environment.

The union has company sections at many employers. These include Air France and Transavia, easyJet, Volotea, Vueling, Corsair, Air Austral, Air Caraïbes Atlantique, Air Corsica, ASL Airlines France, CMA-CGM Air Cargo, French Bee, HOP, Malta Air and Smartwings. It also has sections for the DGAC and for helicopter pilots. It gives information to people who want to become airline or helicopter pilots.

Services

• Legal advice and protection
• Technical expertise (Cometec)
• Pensions expertise
• Support after licence loss
• CIRP support programme
• Help for foreign pilots in France
• Union publications
• Mobile apps