In the excitement of the Roaring Twenties, French society developed a passion for far-off places which gradually became accessible thanks to the very first planes. Pilots and passengers alike took part in this adventure. After the First World War, during which aviation had made huge technological leaps forward, several airlines appeared. 

On 30 August 1933, at the instigation of the Minister for Air Transport, Pierre Cot, the five main French airlines, Air Orient, Air Union, Lignes Farman, CIDNA and, a little later, Aéropostale, merged to form a single national airline. This new national institution did not yet have a name. It was George Raffalovitch, a journalist at Le Journal, who came up with “Air France” at the press conference held by Louis Allègre, the airline’s first Director-General. 

As Air France entered the era of mass transport, it was faced with fierce competition and a series of oil crises. The airline came through this turbulence and enabled Concorde, one of the most beautiful airliners in history, to take flight. Air France was extending its international reach thanks to jumbo jets such as the Boeing 747 and Airbus 300, which it was the first airline to use.