Air France Shakes Up Long-Haul Network

Air France is making changes to its intercontinental schedule in the upcoming winter season, cancelling three destinations and adding Manila as its latest destination.

Route Cancellations

Services to Tokyo Narita will end in October. Air France currently flies to the airport three times a week with Boeing 777-300ERs, its biggest aircraft. The termination was expected as Air France partner airlines Air Calin pulled the connection between Noumea and Narita, which the Air France flight provided a convenient connection for the journey to Paris.

Air France and Air Calin have instead ramped up flights to Singapore, which will be the default connection point between the French capital and its overseas department.

Air France still maintains flights to Tokyo’s main international airport: Haneda. The airline flies two daily flights during the summer season of 2024 and plans to increase to 17 weekly frequencies next week. Both ANA and JAL fly to Paris from Haneda, the preferred airport of the city thanks to its proximity to downtown Tokyo. Air France-KLM will also still have a presence at the Narita airport with KLM flying from its hub in Amsterdam.

The airline is also pulling out of Accra, its only destination in Ghana. The airline currently flies three weekly flights on a 777-200ER between Paris and Ghana. With the termination of the flights to Accra, France and Ghana will no longer have a non-stop connection.

It coincides with the launch of a new route by Virgin Atlantic, a SkyTeam partner of Air France, from London to Accra in 2025. Air France-KLM will also maintain a connection via its Amsterdam hub, with KLM operating a daily flight to Accra.

Abu Dhabi will also exit the Air France route map. After one year of connecting the city pair with a daily frequency on its A350, the airline has cancelled the service altogether. Air France has a partnership with Etihad which covers codesharing and passenger operations though its own aircraft will no longer serve the city.

Air France-KLM Group and Etihad Airways collaboration (Photo: Etihad Airways)

Interestingly, the airline was originally scheduled to ramp up capacity to the city by upgaudging to a 777-300ER, according to Aeroroutes, but has instead cancelled the route. Etihad will become the sole carrier between Abu Dhabi and Paris, operating daily.

Manila

From December 7, Air France will resume flights to Manila from Paris Charles de Gaulle with three weekly frequencies. The Filipino destination was last served by the airline in 2004, according to Aeroroutes. Air France’s sister airline KLM currently serves Manila via Taipei.

An Air France A350-900 (Photo: Shutterstock)

Air France will become the only airline serving the nonstop route. In terms of connecting carriers, Paris is connected one-stop from Manila by carriers including Qatar Airways, Etihad, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and soon Malaysia Airlines with its launch of a Paris route.

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Anthony Bang An

Anthony is an aviation enthusiast who grew up around the world from St. Louis to Singapore, and now lives in Amsterdam. He loves long-haul flying and finds peace in the sound of engine cruising. He aspires to share his passion for the sky though writing and providing another angle on the stories.

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