Air France chairman and CEO Frédéric Gagey has complimented the West African routes, saying they plan to increase flights. He said their operations in Sierra Leone, Guinea and other West African countries have been stable and safe and the increase of passengers has given them the opportunity to increase.
They will begin 3X-weekly Paris Charles de Gaulle-Accra services on Feb. 28, 2017. Beginning March 28, 2017, Air France’s 208-seat Airbus A330 service will be upgraded to a 312-seat Boeing 777-200 for the summer season.
The CEO said partner KLM Royal Dutch Airlines operates daily flights from Amsterdam Schiphol to Accra. “We also want to support Ghana’s buoyant economy, led by the development of the oil industry. Finally, our long-haul network is expanding in a region where we are already a leader.”
The SkyTeam member is expanding one of the most important markets on the African continent for traffic to and from Europe and North America, the company said.
Air France-KLM operates to 46 destinations in Africa. In addition, a joint venture with Kenya Airways delivers 18 additional African destinations to the Group network. A codeshare agreement with South Africa-based Comair and low-cost carrier kulula.com adds five additional cities in South Africa via Johannesburg or Cape Town.
Air France also has a strategic partnership with Ivory Coast national carrier Air Côte d’Ivoire. Since May 2012, Air France supported the creation of the carrier, alongside the Ivorian state, thanks to a 20% investment in its initial capital.
In April, the Abidjan-based carrier became the first African airline to order the A320neo. In July, Air Côte D’Ivoire signed a firm order for an additional A320neo. According to the company website, Air Côte D’Ivoire operates four Airbus A319s, one A320 and four Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s.
Friday August 12, 2016
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