In 2026, Air France is celebrating 25 years of SAPHIR, the airline’s dedicated assistance program for customers with disabilities and reduced mobility. When SAPHIR was created in 2001, Air France was the first airline in the world to offer such an assistance program, centered on listening, anticipating needs, and personalizing the customer relationship. This free, tailored service embodies a strong conviction of the airline: to make air travel more accessible, simpler and more serene.
Personalized support at every stage of the journey
In addition to the assistance services offered by Paris Aéroport, SAPHIR gives Air France customers access to dedicated support. The program steps in from the very start of trip planning: assistance with booking, issuing tickets, accommodating specific needs, organizing airport assistance where required, and coordinating with other departments.
Assistance requests can be made at the time of booking, directly on the Air France website or via a dedicated phone number, up to 48 hours before departure.
An international program, led by expert teams
Today, SAPHIR is available in France and in 20 countries around the world, and includes200 employees. A dedicated phone number is provided for each country, and teams support customers in 7 languages.
Specially trained to support people with disabilities, SAPHIR’s advisors are able to provide tailoredresponses across a wide variety of situations: reduced mobility, sensory, cognitive, or mental disability.
In 2025, 760,000 passengers with disabilities traveled with Air France, a 10% increase compared to 2024. That same year, more than 45,000 calls and 10,000 written requests were handled by SAPHIR teams, in addition to exchanges made via WhatsApp or Messenger.
Concrete advances to improve the travel experience
Over 25 years, SAPHIR has continuously evolved to better meet the expectations of Air France customers. Among recent developments, since March 2025 the airline has made permanent the delivery of personal manual and electric wheelchairs to the aircraft door, where infrastructure allows, in order to preserve customers’ autonomy and comfort throughout their journey.
This attention to mobility equipment is also evident at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, where 100% of wheelchairs are returned to customers upon exiting the aircraft, rather than at the baggage carousel. Now, Saphir advisors are proactively offering this service.
Every day, nearly 2,100 assistance requests are handled globally, approximately half of which happen at Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
Customers who wish to do so can create from a dedicated profile, soon to be digitized and integrated into their Customer profile, allowing them to save information related to their assistance needs, accessibility requirements, and the the transport of their medical equipment in the cabin or hold. This feature aims to facilitate their future bookings by eliminating the need to re-enter this information for every trip, enabling a smoother and more personalized service. It will gradually replace the SAPHIR card from autumn 2026 onwards, without affecting the SAPHIR service itself.
A forward-looking commitment
On the occasion of SAPHIR’s 25th anniversary, Air France reaffirms its commitment to making travel open to all,placing accessibility at the heart of its diversity and inclusion policy.
This ambition is reflected both in the continuous improvement of the customer journey, as well as during specific events such as the transport of the French delegation to the Tokyo Deaflympics or the official partnership with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.