Air France has announced that it has started daily flights to Abu Dhabi from its hub Paris-Charles de Gaulle with the inaugural flight arriving at Abu Dhabi International Airport today (October 30). 

 

The daily service is being operated by an Airbus A350-900 aircraft with a total of 324 seats (34 in Business, 24 in Premium Economy and 266 in Economy). The launch of the new route linking the two capital cities comes as Air France celebrates it’s 90th anniversary.

 

The route will boost local tourism and further promote the emirate as a global destination and expand Abu Dhabi Airports’ network. 

 

The Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) Abu Dhabi and Air France-KLM signed a MoU forging a strategic partnership to enhance connectivity between Abu Dhabi and Europe.

 

The new service will also offer opportunities for passengers boarding in Abu Dhabi to explore Paris and the regions of France, and beyond to the Americas through the Air France global network of destinations with only one stop over in Paris, it stated. 

 

Air France's flight AF639 will take off from Abu Dhabi at 8.45am and land in Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 1.15pm, while on return flight AF638 will depart Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 9.15pm and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 6.45am the next day.

 

Welcoming the launch, Angus Clarke, Chief Commercial Officer, Air France-KLM, said: "Air France is delighted to welcome today’s inaugural flight linking two of the world’s great capital cities. We are deeply honoured to be here and very confident that our passengers will be excited to explore the culture, heritage and opportunities in both cities."

 

"In the UAE’s Year of Sustainability, it is an opportunity to share the Air France commitment to support Abu Dhabi’s mandate to sustainable tourism and to help achieve the tourism objectives of the emirate," stated Clarke. 

 

"We are proud and privileged to be working with DCT Abu Dhabi as Abu Dhabi continues to emerge as a truly global aviation centre, catering to millions of passengers travelling to regional and international destinations. It is also a special pleasure to launch this new route as we celebrate the 90th anniversary of Air France," he added. 

 

Lauding the move, Maureen Bannerman, Chief Commercial Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports said: "We are pleased to join our partner-, Air France-, on the occasion of resuming their service between Abu Dhabi and Paris-Charles de Gaulle."

 

"France and the UAE have long held strong strategic partnerships and travel and tourism have always played an important part of this valuable exchange of cultures. We look forward to welcoming the French national carrier to Abu Dhabi International Airport and to revitalising travel experiences between the popular two destinations," he added.

 

This winter, in addition to Abu Dhabi, Air France will be flying to key regional destinations: Beirut (Lebanon), Dubai and Egyptian capital Cairo with up to 28 weekly flights.-TradeArabia News Service