Landing Page
An historical network
Stockholm, Tunis, Santiago de Chile, Saigon : in 1933, Air France already had an impressive network. It had over 37,000 km of routes, divided into five sectors: Continental Europe (based at Le Bourget), the Mediterranean (Marignane), the Americas (Buenos Aires), Africa (Toulouse) and the East (…THE FIRST 'TOURIST' CONNECTIONSSix years later, the network had been modernised and considerably expanded. The Far East line was extended to Hong Kong, and tourist connections – Cannes, Biarritz, La Baule, etc. – now complemented the London-Paris-Lyon route Image Le Dewoitine D338 "Ville de Strasbourg" puis "Ville de Vientiane…THE NETWORK IN 1939• 46,000 kilometres of flight routes • 85 destinations around the worldRoute overview :"Marseilles - Hong-Kong"• 7 days • In Dewoitine 338 • 12 passengers • 1 weekly flight The war threw the airline into turmoil: the network and the equipment were shut down, and business dwindled away. From abroad (Algiers, Dakar, Damascus), three networks run by free France came into existence. After the liberation, they…'THE WORLD'S LARGEST NETWORK' FROM 1948The airline was reborn, continuing in the footsteps of the RLAF. It leaned towards the Middle East – based around Damascus – and Africa, where it had long-haul routes and several local networks. Its routes were rolled out with increasing speed, helped by commissioning the latest aircraft. The…DEPLOYMENT IN ALL DIRECTIONS IN THE FIFTIESThe pace continued into the next decade. New destinations were opened all over the world. In the Americas: Mexico (1952), Chicago, Montreal, the West Indies (1953), then Caracas, Bogotá, Quito, and Lima (1958). In Asia and the Pacific: Tokyo (1952), Noumea, Brisbane and Sydney (1954). And…THE NETWORK IN 1958• 300,000 kilometres of flight routes • 225 destinations in 76 countriesRoute overview :"Paris - Hong Kong"• XX hours • In Lockheed Super Constellation • 81 passengers • 1 weekly flight Image Un Lockheed L.1049G Super Constellation - 1957 © Air France This deployment was barely affected by the outside context. Firstly, Air France was in competition with the private French airlines UAT and TAI – reunited…JETS REDEFINE THE NETWORKThe arrival of jets meant that Air France continued to flourish. Caravelles were soon flying over Europe and the Mediterranean, with Boeing 707s on American and Asian routes, and subsequently throughout the long-haul network. Their range enabled new direct flights: Paris-Los Angeles and Paris-Rio.…FOCUSING ON KEY MARKETSWith the arrival of deregulation, which weakened the position of the major players, expanding no longer had the same strategic interest. It became preferable to focus on key markets, with networks built around connection hubs. In 1996, Air France opened its Roissy-Charles de Gaulle 2 hub, then…THE NETWORK IN 2015• Over 1,000 destinations in 179 countries (via the SkyTeam alliance) • 179 Air France direct destinations in 80 countriesRoute overview :"Paris - Hong Kong"• 11h50 • In Airbus A380 • 507 passengers • 42 flights weeklyMEXICO-Opening date :27 avril 1952. -Aircraft :Lockheed Constellation F-BZAT. -At a glance:Opened in 1952 as an extension of the Paris-New York "flag" service, Mexico City soon became a key destination in Air France's American network. Image © Air FranceNEW YORKNew York has always been a city apart for Air France. For the past 75 years, these two cities have laid the foundations of our airline’s incredible adventure. Air France's expertise has turned to this very special route to make it a laboratory of creation and innovation that forever transformed the…MONTREAL-Opening date: 2 October 1950. -Aircraft: Lockheed Constellation 749 F-BAZS. -At a glance: In 1950, Air France reached Dorval for the very first time after making stopovers in Shannon and Gander. The Toronto-Paris routes were direct for the first two years, with the option for passengers to continue their journey to Los Angeles. Image © Air FranceTOKYO- Opening date: November 24, 1952. - Aircraft: Lockheed Constellation. - In a few words: After the war, it took three stopovers (Beirut, Karachi and Saigon) and 51 hours to reach Tokyo, once then twice a week. In 1958, Superstarliner aircraft took the "polar route", reducing the journey time by…VideoDe Paris à Tokyo depuis 65 ansBEIRUTClose ties were created in the skies between France and Lebanon over a century ago, which have remained unbroken ever since. The story began on 10 November 1913. At the airfield in Paris-Villacoublay, a "Nieuport" was preparing to take off for Cairo, where it arrived on 1 January 1914 after a…
