With the IATA winter timetable season starting shortly, Air France is getting ready for a busy season ahead.
Air France Airbus A350-900 arriving at Chicago O’Hare – Image, Economy Class and Beyond.
During the 2023-2024 winter season (November 2023 – March 2024), the company will serve 167 destinations including 84 on long-haul and 83 on short and medium-haul. Let us dive in to see what’s new for the season.
The Return of AF001 and AF002
Air France is 90 years old this year. In a nod to its past as well as its future, the company will renumber its flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and New York JFK from 29th October 2023.
Flights AF015 and AF022 will be renumbered and become AF001 and AF002 – which were the flight numbers reserved for Concorde until 2003. If you were booked on AF015/022, you might want to double-check – you should have the new flight numbers in your reservation.
Sadly, the fast aeroplane will not return. Instead, it will use one of its descendants – an Airbus A350-900 or a Boeing 777-300ER, depending on the flight.
The Americas
Winter 2023-2024 will be marked by a 20% increase in capacity in North America compared to 2019, with Air France operating up to 212 flights per week to 20 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
On the 30th of October 2023, Air France will add Raleigh Durham (North Carolina) to its network, with three flights per week operated by Boeing 787-9. Raleigh Durham will be Air France’s 14th gateway in the United States this winter.
At the same time, the company will extend its service to Ottawa (Canada), inaugurated last June and operated by Boeing 787-9, into the winter. Services to Dallas, Vancouver, Boston and Montreal will be reinforced, with additional frequencies or the use of higher-capacity aircraft.
For its Central and South America flights, with the daily flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and San José (Costa Rica), operated by Airbus A350-900. Service to Bogota (Colombia) will also be provided by Airbus A350-900, allowing an increase in the capacities offered on this route.
In the Caribbean area, Air France will inaugurate a new connection between Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) and Saint-Martin on the 1st of December 2023, operated once a week by Airbus A320. This new connection will bring to 7 the number of destinations served by the company’s Caribbean Regional Network – (Belém (Brazil), Cayenne, Pointe-à-Pitre, Fort-de-France, Saint-Martin, Miami and Montreal).
Asia
With signs of life in the Asia region, Air France is boosting its operations, primarily driven by demand to and from China and Japan.
Capacities in this area will increase by 60% compared to winter 2022-2023. This is still below 2019 service levels.
This winter, the company will maintain its daily service to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong and will offer a second flight to Tokyo Haneda. In total, up to 16 flights per week will be offered this winter to the two Tokyo airports.
Finally, service to Bangkok (Thailand) will return to a daily rhythm this winter, and up to 10 flights per week during peak periods in January and February 2024.
Middle East and Africa
From 29th October 2023, Air France will offer a new route to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). This will be served daily by Airbus A350-900, in cooperation with Etihad Airways. Dubai will be served 14 times a week by Boeing 777.
In Africa, service to Nairobi (Kenya) is now daily, and the connection to Dar Es Salam (Tanzania), inaugurated in June 2023 and provided as a continuation of Zanzibar (Tanzania), will be extended over the winter season.
Flights to Niamey (Niger), Bamako (Mali) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) remain suspended until further notice.
Short and medium-haul
On medium-haul, the winter season will be marked by return of seasonal connections between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Tromsø (Norway, two flights per week from 28th October 2023), Rovaniemi (Finland, 3 flights per week from 2nd December 2023, and up to 7 flights per week during the Christmas holidays), Kittila (Finland, one flight per week from 23rd December 2023) and Innsbruck (Austria, one flight per week from 23rd December 2023).
The service to Krakow (Poland) will be extended over the winter season, with three flights per week operated by Embraer 190.
Continued deployment of new cabins on Boeing 777-300 ER and Airbus A350-900
Air France continues the deployment of its new long-haul cabins, gradually installed on 12 Boeing 777 300ERs and now offered on Airbus A350-900.
As part of Air France’s move upmarket, this new product available in Business, Premium Economy and Economy constitutes the company’s new standard. This winter, it will be offered on select flights to New York JFK, Newark, Boston, Rio de Janeiro, Bangkok, Dakar, Tokyo Haneda, Hong Kong, Seoul Incheon, Shanghai and Johannesburg.
Building on strengths
With Asia still weak (compared to the Americas), Air France is focusing on the Americas to deliver revenue to push through its winter programme and growth. There are signs of growth – with the airline keeping some key routes operational.
We’ll have to see if growth in the Asia region will allow Air France to increase its operations in the Spring/Summer season.
For now, winter is almost here – and it’s time to hunker down with the new timetables.
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