In March 1958, Air France extended its Paris-Caracas-Bogota route to Lima.
Once a week, the two capital cities were linked by Super Constellation L-1049 G. A 10,000 kilometre flight in 25 hours! Latin America had been a priority for Air France for many years.
Further north, Peru was still waiting on the sidelines. With its Lockheed Super Constellation, its elegant long-haul aircraft, in 1953 Air France launched a northern route, connecting Paris to Caracas and Bogota. It was known as the "French entrepreneurs" route, as there was so much French interest in this booming region. Peru was no exception. French industrialists worked at the steel complex in Chimbote and at the Hualanca power station among others.
In 1957, the success of the French Exhibition in Lima confirmed the need for a France-Peru route. With the introduction of the Boeing 707 in 1960, the flight time was reduced to 16 hours 40 minutes. Traffic increased from 651 passengers in 1961 to 9,750 in 1976, boosted by the boom in tourism. The French discovered Cuzco, Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca.
After several years of suspension, the company now serves Lima on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle six times a week.