Air France in the starting-blocks for the criss-crossing of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic athletes this weekend and next Monday
- Peak departures of Olympic athletes expected on Monday, August 12th, with close to 3,000 delegates travelling on 280 Air France flights.
Arrival of first Paralympic delegations with nearly 200 accredited delegates expected this weekend on some 15 flights.
Just a few days before the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, all Air France teams are mobilized to handle the critical upcoming weekend of the world's biggest sporting event, of which Air France is an official partner.
Since the start of the competition, Air France has carried more than 10,000 accredited guests (athletes, delegations, media) representing over 150 nationalities. More than 1 in 3 accredited guests arriving in Paris by air travelled on Air France, making it the leading airline of accredited guests.
Opening of a miniature airport in the Olympic Village
Arrivals of Olympic athletes and delegations were gradual, peaking on July 25th, the eve of the Opening Ceremony. Departures have already begun, with several medalists travelling on Air France this week, including Sweden’s Armand “Mondo” Duplantis who won gold and broke the world record for pole vault. Most departures should be concentrated in a 48-hour window around the closing ceremony, scheduled for Sunday evening, August 11th, at the Stade de France.
The peak of departures is expected on Monday August 12, 2024, a day on which Air France plans to carry close to 3,000 delegates traveling on board 280 flights. With a total of 120,000 customers expected on this day, traffic will be similar to that of a weekend day of major departures, which is exceptional for a Monday.
To guarantee a seamless experience for all customers – whether traveling to or from the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games or not – Air France has helped set up a dedicated system for athletes and delegations at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic Village.
More than 125 Air France customer service agents will be hard at work for 3 days, on August 10th, 11th and 12th to check in the luggage of athletes and delegations traveling on Air France and its partner airlines. Baggage check-in will take place the day before departure in a dedicated area of the Olympic Village, essentially a miniature airport set up for the occasion. Luggage will then be secured and transported to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, where it will be stored until it is loaded onto the aircraft. On average, an Olympic athlete travels with 4 pieces of luggage, including 1 oversized item such as kayaks, vaulting poles, gymnastics hoops, road racing bikes, etc.
On the day of departure, the athletes will be taken to the airport by shuttle bus and will follow a special route, passing through a dedicated terminal before reaching their boarding gate.
Similar arrangements will be in place for the departure of Paralympic athletes and delegations on September 7th, 8th and 9th,, 2024.
Find out more about the OAP (Off-Airport Process):
This is the first time Air France has implemented an off-site check-in system on this scale.
Paralympic athletes are already arriving in Paris.
Alongside the departures of Olympic athletes, the arrivals of Paralympic athletes are accelerating, with 19 days to go before the start of the competition. Almost 200 accredited athletes travelling on some fifteen flights are arriving this weekend.
Air France expects to carry more than 1 in 3 (35%) Paralympic athletes travelling to Paris for the Paris 2024 Games.
All operational teams and SAPHIR, the Air France service dedicated to people with disabilities, have been fully mobilized for several months to prepare for these arrivals, with notably much higher-than-average volumes of wheelchairs and other specialized sports equipment. Paralympic athletes using wheelchairs travel with an average of two wheelchairs, including one for their competitions.
