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AIR FRANCE ET GENÈVE, UNE LONGUE HISTOIRE

C’est en mai 1932 que la compagnie Air Union ouvre la toute première liaison directe entre Paris et Genève à raison de trois aller-retours hebdomadaires, jusqu’en 1935.Air France propose dès lors un tronçon Lyon-Genève avant de reprendre, le 15 mai 1937; Paris-Genève sans escale. Stoppée durant la deuxième guerre mondiale, la liaison est rétablie par Swissair et Air France en juillet 1945 et devient quotidienne dès 1946, à l’instar de Paris-Zurich. En avril 1953…

Il y a 70 ans, Air France ouvrait sa desserte guyanaise

En 1947, Air France ouvre une ligne entre Paris et Fort-de-France, triplement prolongée vers Pointe-À-Pitre, la Colombie et Cayenne. Pour la première fois, la Guyane est reliée à la métropole.Tout juste érigé département français en 1946, la Guyane reste coupée de la métropole par les airs. Et sur place, le réseau tarde à s'organiser. Dès 1919 pourtant, deux lignes avaient été exploitées depuis Saint-Laurent du Maroni par les Transports Aériens Guyanais. L'hydravion s'avérait idéal,…Du Latécoère au BoeingPour se rendre en Guyane, les voyageurs partent en train de Paris vers Bordeaux. Ils sont alors conduits sur l'hydrobase de Biscarosse, d'où un Laté 631 déjauge en pleine nuit. Après une escale à Port-Etienne, aujourd'hui Nouadhibou, en Mauritanie, il amerrit à Fort-de-France le samedi matin. Le…VideoIl y a 70 ans, Air France ouvrait sa desserte Guyanaise

Air France, 65 years in Mexico

When it landed on the tarmac of Mexico Central on 27 April 1952, exactly 65 years ago, the Lockheed Constellation F-BZAT was paving the way for years of Air France history in Mexico!Since then, it has witnessed many great events, as links have become stronger over the years. Above the Atlantic Nothing led anyone to believe that Air France would flourish in Mexico. In America, the airline first chose to fly to the United States in the North, and countries located on the "legendary" Paris-Santiago de Chile route in the South. It was not until 1946 that regular services flew across the…Strong links Mexico City soon became a key destination on Air France's American network. Traffic took off, Paris-Mexico City services multiplied, with one then two weekly connections in 1952, rising to seven in 1954. New services to other Mexican cities were added: Guadalajara in 1969 and Puerto Vallarta in…

70 years of strong links between Air France and the West Indies

In July 1947, the Latécoère 631 flew for the first time from Metropolitan France to the West Indies.Excluded from air travel for a long time, the West Indies were now part of the Air France network. In 1935, Air France sent its Latécoère 521, "Lieutenant de Vaisseau Paris" to Fort de France in Martinique, for a special flight. But it was not until July 1947, that an aircraft - the Latécoère 631 "…Destination West Indies-French GuianaWith the advent of the jets in 1959, transatlantic flights took just 8 hours! Thanks to the increase in capacity, 500 passengers on a Boeing 747, traffic literally took off, boosted by the tourism boom. This increased from 80,000 passengers in 1970 to 850,000 in 1987! Since then, the success of the…VideoBelle balade caribéenne en Guadeloupe

Air France and the Olympic Torch

On 13th September in Lima, the International Olympic Committee will elect the city that will host the 2024 Games.In the 1930s, tennis champions such as Jean Borotra, aka the “Bounding Basque”, flew to Wimbledon aboard the Paris-London express! Through the XXth century, sport became a societal phenomenon. Aviation contributed to its rapid development by transporting professional sports players, as well as…LONDON 1948Air France increased its service connecting Paris to the British capital 39 times weekly. Four years later, the company organized special flights for the Mexican and French delegations in Helsinki.TOKYO 1964The company was chosen by ten countries to transport their athletes to Tokyo. Sports players imposed their increasing demands for comfort, special meals and their occasional outsized equipment. Air France developed its expertise.SEOUL 1988Air France transported the French equestrian teams’ horses to Seoul. In 1994, during the Lillehammer Games, the company brought the Austrians daily dairy produce supplies directly from their country! And in 1992, it transported the Olympic torch between Greece and France, on board the Concorde...…

The Beach Tour by Constellation

55 years ago, the Constellation Super Starliner entered the Air France fleet.On 15 August 1957, the date it was brought into service, this legendary aircraft made a tour of France, by flying over 163 beaches. From Le Touquet to Monaco, watch the highlights of this exceptional beach tour.VideoThe Beach Tour by Constellation

En route to Mali

In 1933, at the time of Air France’s creation, Bamako – then capital of French Sudan – did not form part of the company’s African network. Following the launch of Dakar in 1936, attention turned to Mali.In 1937, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry made a study trip on behalf of Air France and the Air Ministry. The flight, spanning 15,000 km, took off from le Bourget with the following itinerary – Marseille-Casablanca-Tindouf-Bamako-Dakar-Atar-Fort Gouraud-Tindouf-Oran-Algiers.Air France launched its twice-weekly Paris-Dakar-Bamako servicePassengers arrived in Dakar from mainland France on board a Dewoitine 333 and pursued their trip to Bamako, by Wibault 282. Though the Dakar-Bamako service got off to a difficult start – with only 397 passengers in 1938 - , the Malian station asserted its presence after the war. Bamako was included…

The Concorde lands in New York

The Air France Concorde inaugurated the Paris-New York service, taking off from Roissy at 11:12* to land at Kennedy airport at 08:47* on 22 November 1977.Air France brought the big white bird into service in 1976, on routes to Rio, Caracas and Washington. New York was supposed to be the last destination served. But under pressure from local residents and ecological activists, Kennedy Airport decided to ban the Concorde. Too noisy. Eighteen months…The Concorde in a few figuresCapacity: 100 passengers Length inside the cabin: 2.63 metres Speed: 2,200 km/h, i.e. twice the speed of sound (Mach 2.02) Total length : 62.19 metres Wingspan: 25.56 metres Wing surface: 358.25 sq. m Empty weight: 79.265 tonnes Cruising altitude: 16,000 to 18,000 m Air France flight hours: 90,087…VideoThe Concorde lands in New York

65 years of service from Paris to Tokyo

Connecting Paris to Tokyo was unimaginable for a long time : 10,000 km as the crow flies, but twice the distance with slow aircraft, forced to make multiple stopovers.After the war, a regular Paris-Tokyo service - often spelt "Tokio" in some countries until the 1950s - was possible. The service was launched on 24 November 1952 by Lockheed Constellation, a more powerful aircraft. It still required three stopovers - Beirut, Karachi and Saigon - and 51 hours of…Video65 years of service from Paris to Tokyo

Bienvenido in Lima

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-…Video60 years of Air France in Lima