Air France has made this announcement:

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis, Air France has been adapting its network and flight schedule in real-time in line with travel restrictions and demand. Since end-March and at the present time, Air France is operating between 3 and 5% of its usual schedule, with a focus on maintaining a service to the French regions and links with key destinations in Europe and worldwide, to both transport passengers and goods. In this capacity, Air France currently serves 43 destinations.

Between now and the end of June and subject to travel restrictions being lifted, Air France plans to gradually resume its flights, with a gradual increase in the number of frequencies and destinations, especially to/from metropolitan France, the French Overseas Departments, and Europe.

This flight schedule will be equivalent to 15% of the capacities usually deployed at this time of year and will be operated by 75 aircraft in the Air France fleet, which comprises 224 aircraft.

To assist its customers as traffic picks up again, Air France regularly adapts its flight schedule and updates it daily across all distribution channels. As of May 18, 2020, the flight schedule is up to date until June 30, 2020.

Flight schedule at 30 June 2020 to/from Paris-Charles de Gaulle

Metropolitan France
Ajaccio, Bastia, Biarritz, Bordeaux, Brest, Calvi, Clermont-Ferrand, Figari, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice, Pau, Perpignan, Toulon, Toulouse

French Overseas Departments and Caribbean
Cayenne, Fort-de-France, Pointe-à-Pitre, Saint-Denis de La Réunion, Saint-Martin (cargo only)

Europe
Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Bari, Bergen, Berlin, Birmingham, Bologna, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Florence, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Hanover, Heraklion, Ibiza, Lisbon, Ljubljana, London, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Naples, Newcastle, Oslo, Palma de Mallorca, Porto, Prague, Rome, Stockholm, Warsaw, Venice, Vienna, Yerevan, Zurich

Middle East
Bangalore, Beirut, Bombay, Delhi, Dubai, Cairo

Africa
Abidjan (cargo only), Bamako (cargo only), Cotonou, Douala, Yaoundé
+ Conakry and Nouakchott, only for sale to Paris CDG.
+ other destinations subject to obtaining necessary governmental authorizations.

North America
Atlanta, Boston (cargo only), Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Montreal

South America
Panama City (cargo only), Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo

Asia
Bangkok (cargo only), Ho Chi Minh City (cargo only), Hong Kong, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai (cargo only), Singapore, Tokyo

(1/7) = number of weekly flights

Flight schedule at June 30, 2020 to/from Lyon-St. Exupéry

Metropolitan France
Biarritz, Bordeaux, Brest, Caen, Lille, Nantes, Nice, Pau, Rennes, Strasbourg, Toulouse

This flight schedule is likely to change and remains subject to obtaining the necessary governmental authorizations. Days of operation and the resumption date of these different services can be consulted at airfrance.com

Details of the flight schedule for the months of July and August will be published at the beginning of June 2020.

This updated flight schedule implies the cancellation of bookings for flights that will not be operated. Commercial measures available for consultation on airfrance.com and at all points of sale allow concerned customers to reschedule or cancel their trip at no extra cost.

Prior to travelling, Air France encourages its customers to contact the competent authorities for information on the formalities for entering and residing in their countries of destination and transit, as these are likely to have been modified following the COVID-19 epidemic.

Air France reminds that wearing a face mask is compulsory on all its flights and that temperature checks have been implemented on departure of each flight.

Air France aircraft photo gallery:

Air France has made this announcement:

In line with French instructions making the wearing of a mask compulsory on public transport, Air France will ask its customers to wear a mask throughout their journey as from 11 May 2020.

Customers will be notified of this via all communication channels (e-mail, sms, websites) prior to their departure and will be asked to ensure they possess one or more masks for their trip.

This is in addition to the measures implemented by Air France and its partners in response to the COVID-19 health crisis, which include:

• The compulsory wearing of masks for all crew members and agents in contact with customers,
• The modification of customer channels on the ground with the implementation of physical distancing along the customer journey at the airport and the installation of Plexiglas protection screens at airports each time it is possible,
• The implementation of physical distancing on board where possible. On most flights, the current low load factors make it possible to separate customers as required. In cases where this is not possible, requiring all passengers and crew to wear masks ensures adequate health protection.
• The reinforcement of daily aircraft cleaning procedures, with the disinfection of all surfaces in contact with customers such as armrests, tables and screens,
• The introduction of a specific procedure for the periodic disinfecting aircraft by spraying an approved virucidal product effective for 10 days,
• Adapting in-flight service to limit interaction between customers and crew members. On domestic flights and short flights in Europe, meal and beverage services have been suspended. On long-haul flights, cabin service is limited and preference is given to individually wrapped products.

​In addition, the air in the cabin is renewed every 3 minutes. The air recycling system on board Air France aircraft is equipped with “High Efficiency Particulate Air” or HEPA filters, identical to those used in hospital operating theatres. These filters extract more than 99.99% of the smallest viruses, including those no larger than 0.01 micrometres, thus ensuring that cabin air complies with quality standards. Coronavirus type viruses, ranging in size from 0.08 to 0.16 micrometres, are filtered through the HEPA filters.

Air France reminds passengers that the health and safety of its customers and staff is an absolute priority. All the airline’s teams are fully mobilized to ensure the highest levels of health and safety for its customers and to ensure they travel in complete confidence.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €7 billion French aid measure consisting of a State guarantee on loans and a shareholder loan to Air France to provide urgent liquidity to the company in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The measures were approved under the State aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on March 19, 2020, as amended on April 3, 2020, and directly based on Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), respectively.

Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said:

“The aviation industry is important in terms of jobs and connectivity. In the context of the coronavirus outbreak, Air France has also been playing an essential role in the repatriation of citizens and for the transport of medical equipment. This €7 billion French guarantee and shareholder loan will provide Air France with the liquidity that it urgently needs to withstand the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. We have cooperated closely with France, as with many other Member States, to ensure that public support to tackle the current crisis can be put in place as quickly and effectively as possible, in line with EU rules. France has also announced plans for certain green policy choices as regards Air France. Good. Member States are free to design measures in line with their policy objectives and EU rules.”

Air France aircraft photo gallery:

Air France has made this announcement:

Air France Group has made this announcement:

The global health crisis caused by COVID-19 has resulted in the largest global repatriation operation ever seen. Hundreds of thousands of travellers wanted to return home as quickly as possible, presenting an unprecedented operational challenge in the face of numerous border and airspace closures.

Working hand in hand with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassies

Air France has worked in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Secretary for Transport to identify and prioritize needs in the various countries, in conjunction with the embassies and Air France delegations around the world. An operational crisis unit was opened 7 days a week to coordinate operations and obtain the necessary authorizations to maintain the regular flight schedule and set up special flights exclusively dedicated to repatriation operations. These operations have been complicated due to the numerous restrictions imposed on airlines, for example in terms of crew accommodation, and by the lack of harmonization of procedures in the various countries.

150,000 French nationals were able to return home thanks to Air France and Transavia

Since 14 March 2020, Air France and Transavia have operated more than 1,800 flights from 132 airports in 82 countries, enabling the repatriation of more than 270,000 passengers, including 150,000 French nationals. In a severely deteriorated economic context and at a time when most aircraft had to leave Paris empty, Air France and Transavia have introduced special capped fares for repatriation passengers.

These repatriation operations are now coming to an end in most regions, with the exception of certain areas such as North Africa where demand remains high, despite more than 200 flights already operated. To meet this demand, Air France will continue to operate a few flights in the coming weeks, subject to obtaining the necessary authorization.

Territorial continuity and the transport of medical equipment and goods essential for crisis management

Air France’s activity is now focused on operating a minimum flight schedule, equivalent to around 5% of the capacity usually available. This is designed, on the one hand, to preserve territorial continuity to major French cities and overseas territories, and, on the other hand, to maintain a lifeline with major European and international cities, enabling the transport of passengers and cargo.

Air France is also actively involved in the airlift between China and France for the transport of masks and medical equipment. 7 flights are operated every week using Boeing 777 cargo aircraft and Boeing 777s usually used for passenger transport and on board which equipment is carried in the holds and in the cabin.

The implementation of this repatriation and operational continuity plan has been made possible by the joint commitment of all Air France and Transavia teams, ground staff, pilots and flight attendants, who are proud to be contributing to the national effort.

Air France aircraft photo gallery:

Air France has made this announcement:

Faced with this unprecedented health crisis, Air France has significantly reduced its activity. The company is currently operating approximately 5% of its usual flight schedule, and 180 out of the 224 aircraft that make up its fleet are currently grounded, and placed in storage at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Toulouse Blagnac, where Air France owns a maintenance base. Although numerous airports are fully or partially closed, operations continue behind the scenes. Every day, some 1,000 agents working at the different aircraft storage sites look after the grounded aircraft and maintain in operating condition the 40-odd aircraft that continue to connect the French regions and serve key destinations in Europe and worldwide. Air France also continues to operate repatriation flights for French and European nationals, in coordination with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, as well as freighter flights, notably to/from China, as part of the airlift set up to transport medical equipment.

EACH AIRCRAFT RECEIVES SPECIAL CARE AND ATTENTION

Organizing this type of aircraft storage operation – the first ever of its kind in the history of air transport – is painstaking work carried out in accordance with aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing’s recommendations.

Among the 3 existing types of aircraft storage operations*, Air France has opted for a so-called “active” storage, adapted to aircraft grounded for a duration of between 1 and 3 months, and requiring about 150 hours of work spread over 3 phases –

• Initial storage, the longest phase, which involves protecting the aircraft and getting it ready for storage, and notably includes –
  • The installation of tarps and panels to block all the air vents where insects or animals could come and nest.
  • The obstruction of the engines or blocking of the fan blades, depending on the aircraft type
  • A thorough cleaning of critical zones such as landing gear and hydraulic systems
  • The lubrication of the landing gear and wing components
  • Checks on humidity levels

• Recurrent operations, whose frequency depends on the aircraft type and the manufacturer’s recommendations, comprising –
  • Checks to ensure the protections in place are in good condition
  • Visual inspections of the aircraft and system checks
  • Moving the aircraft over a distance of a few metres to alleviate the stress on the tyres or rotating of the wheels without moving the aircraft, using a jack
  • Switching on the engines and APU (auxiliary power unit)

• Initial removal from storage, which paves the way for the aircraft’s return to service. This phase involves up to 2 days of work removing the different protective equipment set up around the aircraft and checks to ensure that everything is in correct working order ready to resume flight operations in compliance with the company’s procedures and regulatory requirements.

GÉRY MORTREUX, Executive Vice President Engineering & Maintenance, added: “In these special circumstances, our priority is the safety of our flights, our customers and our staff. At the present time, we monitor our entire fleet on a daily basis, with each of our aircraft receiving special care and attention. Nothing is left to chance. For the time being, we are limiting on-site presence while observing hygiene measures such as social distancing, the provision of masks, gloves, hydroalcoholic gel and wipes as well as regularly disinfecting our premises. Our primary mission is to ensure our fleet of aircraft are maintained in the best possible condition so that we can put our aircraft back in the air in complete safety as soon as this becomes possible”.

* “Normal” parking 2 to 4 weeks maximum; “active” storage of 1 to 3 months; “Extended” storage for periods of over 3 months.

Air France aircraft photo gallery:

Air France Airbus A330 was damaged in Pointe Noire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, yesterday on a repatriation flight. The outbound return flight was cancelled after gunfire damaged the aircraft.

Air France issued this short statement:

“Air France confirms that during the night of April 11th, an Airbus A330 belonging to the airline was damaged due to an incident on the tarmac of Pointe Noire’s Airport.”

Read more from the Washington Post.