PARIS- Following a summer season characterized by robust demand, particularly for long-distance travel, Air France (AF) is pressing ahead with the reestablishment and enlargement of its worldwide network.
Throughout the upcoming winter season, spanning from November 2023 to March 2024, the airline is set to serve 167 destinations, encompassing 84 long-distance and 83 medium-haul destinations. Notably, Air France will be operating at nearly the same capacity levels as winter 2019, reaching approximately 98% of the available seat kilometers on long-haul flights that were available in 2019.
Air France New Routes
During the winter season of 2023-2024, Air France is set to significantly expand its capacities to North America, reflecting a 20% increase when compared to 2019 levels. The airline will operate up to 212 flights each week, serving 20 destinations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Notably, Air France is adding Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, to its network starting from October 30, 2023, with three weekly flights utilizing Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
This addition makes Raleigh-Durham the 14th destination served by Air France in the United States for the upcoming winter. Additionally, the Ottawa service, initiated in June, will be extended into the winter season, and flights will be carried out on Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
Services to Dallas, Vancouver, Boston, and Montreal will see enhancements involving more flights or the deployment of higher-capacity aircraft.
In commemoration of its 90th anniversary, Air France will renumber its flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and New York-JFK, adopting the iconic flight numbers AF001 and AF002, which were synonymous with the Concorde until 2003, effective from October 29, 2023.
Further south, Air France is reinforcing its services to Central and South America with daily service to San José, Costa Rica, operated on Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
Bogota, Colombia, will also see an increase in capacity with flights operated by Airbus A350-900 aircraft. In the Caribbean, a new route between Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, and Saint-Martin will be inaugurated on December 1, 2023, with one weekly flight operated on an Airbus A320.
This addition brings the total number of destinations served by Air France’s Caribbean regional network to seven, including Belém (Brazil), Cayenne, Pointe-à-Pitre, Fort-de-France, Saint-Martin, Miami, and Montreal.
60% Capacity Increase
Air France’s offerings to and from Asia will see growth, with capacities up by 60% compared to the winter of 2022-2023, although still below 2019 levels. China and Japan notably drive this increase.
The airline will maintain daily flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong throughout the winter season, and an additional flight to Tokyo-Haneda will be introduced, resulting in up to 16 weekly flights to Tokyo’s two airports.
Additionally, daily flights will resume to Bangkok this winter, with up to 10 flights each week during the peak months of January and February 2024.
Starting October 29, 2023, Air France will commence flights to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, as part of its collaboration with Etihad Airways.
Flights will operate daily, utilizing an Airbus A350-900. Service to Dubai will see an increase to 14 weekly flights, all operated on Boeing 777 aircraft.
In Africa, Air France is now offering daily flights to Nairobi, Kenya, and the service initiated in June to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, as an extension of the Zanzibar route, will continue into the winter season.
However, flights to and from Niamey, Niger, Bamako, Mali, and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, remain suspended until further notice due to safety concerns.
New Boeing 777 and A350 Cabins
Air France is in the process of introducing its latest long-haul cabin designs, gradually equipping 12 Boeing 777 300 ERs with these enhancements. Furthermore, these upgrades are set to extend to the Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
Representing a part of Air France’s strategy to elevate its service offerings, this new cabin product, encompassing Business, Premium Economy, and Economy configurations, is at the heart of the airline’s revamped travel experience.
During the upcoming winter season, travelers will have the opportunity to experience this new cabin design on select flights to destinations including New York-JFK, New York-Newark, Boston, Rio de Janeiro, Bangkok, Dakar, Tokyo-Haneda, Hong Kong, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai, and Johannesburg.
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