Frederic Kahane's passion for aeronautics began with a childhood dream of becoming a pilot was grounded by nearsightedness.

But the takeoff of his career on the business end of the airline industry gives this business magnate an increasingly higher profile in China.

The 43-year-old Frenchman, who is general manager of Greater China for Air France and KLM, is working to strike a balance between learning Chinese and launching Premium Voyageur - the company's response to the global downturn, which will be launched on Jan 18 next year.

The company's general manager said language has proven the most difficult stumbling block during his three months in China, which came on the heels of similar stints in Belgium and Luxemburg, where he set up a joint Air France KLM team.

Kahane landed in the carrier's Greater China office in Beijing on Aug 16.

"The urgent thing is to meet my team here and talk to them," Kahane says.

He believes the best and fastest way for him to understand his customers and partners is face-to-face interaction.

The company currently has more 500 employees in China.

When he says that it's frustrating to be "surrounded by Chinese-speaking ladies and not understand what they're talking about", he's referring to his two daughters, aged 5 and 8, and his wife, who have been taking Mandarin lessons.

Kahane and his wife first came to China for vacation 15 years ago, visiting Beijing and Xi'an.

He says that it's a "big surprise" to see today's Beijing compared with the city he saw a decade and a half ago.

The Frenchman describes his move to Beijing as a "kiss landing".

"The city is very enjoyable," he says.

"The streets are wide, and the people are nice."

Kahane also expressed a strong gastronomic affinity for Sichuan cuisine, dim sum and Peking duck.

The Kahanes bought two bikes 10 days after arriving in Beijing. The couple enjoys cycling around the city. One of their first two-wheeled excursions was to the Lama Temple, which impressed them with its serenity, despite the crowds.

He recalls pedaling to Hongqiao Pearl Market to buy his daughters a Wii - a gift he promised them after relocating to China.

"I love to play the Wii ... and my mood depends very much on the kids' moods," he says.

The father cherishes the time he spends reading stories, going to the movies, swimming and biking with the girls.

"Their childhood goes so fast, and it's very important to us," he says.

The family plans to visit the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival this winter.

Having grown up in the Alps, Kahane enjoys skiing and hopes to soon engage this pastime in China.

He has in some ways become a professional traveler for his business.

"Tourism is a great way to explore and get to know the local market better," he says.

In the past three months, he has taken all the airlines' flights in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou, Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu, Zhejiang province's Hangzhou city and Guangdong province's Shenzhen city.

His next business trip is to Wuhan, capital of Hubei province. Because the city is host to a French automaker Citroen, there is a great demand for flights between the city and France.

Fully exploring second-tier cities and partnering with local airlines is key to the company's China strategy.

The group AFKL has signed code-sharing agreements with China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Sichuan Airlines to grab more market share outside of the country's metropolises. It's building a pyramid-shaped flight network across China.

Currently, AFKL offers 65 flights a week from China to Europe.

In response to the economic crisis, which Kahane quotes the International Air Transport Association as saying is far from over, Air France will offer a more affordable Premium Voyageur service for flights to and from Beijing and Hong Kong, featuring a new cabin between business and economy classes. KLM will introduce the new Economy Comfort seats on all intercontinental flights.

It's also introducing its Chinese-language in-flight magazine. And the prestigious Chinese restaurant brand South Beauty has become its culinary partner to cater to Chinese passengers' needs.

Surely, Kahane has high hopes.

Story by Liu Weifeng, photo by Feng Yongbin

(China Daily 11/28/2009 page8)