Air France is preparing for the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere. Strong travel demand, combined with the lifting of the latest restrictions due to the pandemic, will allow the airline to return to operating at the same levels as in 2019 this year. For the 2023 summer season, which will run from April to October, Air France will fly up to 835 times a day, to a total of 191 destinations in 89 countries.
The 2023 summer season will mark a turning point in Air France's long-haul flight programme. The resumption of service to China will allow the return of more Asia-bound flights. Flights to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong will gradually increase throughout the spring, reaching one daily flight per destination on July 1, or 21 flights a week.
Also in Asia, Air France will continue to increase capacity to Tokyo, Japan, where the airline serves both airports. The plan contemplates adding up to 11 weekly flights to Tokyo Haneda and three to Tokyo Narita. Besides. More flights to North America are being added, in response to growing demand in the region. This summer, Air France will operate up to 180 flights a week to and from 14 US destinations, as well as 50 flights to 5 Canadian cities.
On May 27, the airline will introduce a new Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle-Ottawa flight, thus becoming the only airline to operate direct flights between Ottawa and Europe. In total, there will be five direct flights each week, on Airbus A330-200.
Very active in Africa during the pandemic, Air France will continue to maintain seat capacity above 2019 levels. As of June 12, 2023, the airline will begin serving Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. The operation will consist of three flights per week in Boeing 787-9 as a continuation of the service to Zanzibar, inaugurated in 2021. On the same date, the daily departure of the Boeing 787-9 to Nairobi (Kenya) will become a direct flight.
Finally, in the Caribbean, Air France will inaugurate a new flight on May 5, 2023: it will link Cayenne (French Guiana) and Belém (Brazil) once a week on Airbus A320.
In addition to its regular schedule, the airline will operate 66 seasonal routes in France and Europe, departing from Paris and various French regional airports. These flights will make it possible to reach Corsica (from Paris, Bordeaux, Caen, Rennes, Lille, Lyon and Nantes), Greece (from Paris, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse), Algeria (from Paris, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse), Morocco (from Paris and Nice), and also Tunisia (from Paris, Marseille and Nice).
Meanwhile, the Air France-KLM Group's low-cost subsidiary, Transavia France, will operate nearly 200 short- and medium-haul routes to 120 destinations this summer, including 100 to and from Paris-Orly. Thus, Transavia France will consolidate itself as the main low-cost airline operating from Paris airports.