Air France plans to add substantially more flights by June , the airline said as it celebrates its fifth anniversary.
“Air France has been here for five years, and despite hard times like the Covid-19 period, it is a clear sign that we are here to stay,” general manager Marius van der Ham said.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from June 12 will receive non-stop service in both directions, with one daily flight to/from Paris-Charles de Gaulle from the current six flights a week.
The flights will be operated by a Boeing 787-9.
Air France resumed its flights to Kenya in 2018 by partnering with KLM and Kenya Airways.
Besides strengthening the airline’s presence in the region, the route expansion is also aimed at benefiting French and Kenyan companies, especially in horticulture, pharmaceuticals, and other businesses that depend on air transport.
Air France is constantly evolving to offer the highest level of comfort during travel.
The airline has completely redesigned the iconic seat features with even more enveloping curves and extra comfort in its long-haul Business seat, reasserting the French-style art of travel.
The airline has also installed its latest Premium Economy (48 seats) and Economy (273 seats) seats on board these aircraft for optimum comfort.
In the Premium Economy cabin, Air France has introduced its latest recliner-type seat model already available on its Airbus A350, while further improving its comfort.
The airline will operate the latest generation aircraft on the route, including Boeing 787 Dreamliner and B777, equipped with state-of-the-art cabin features to ensure a superior customer experience.
“Kenya is one of our high-interest markets, and therefore we commit to bringing our best products here for our customers,” van der Ham said.
The airline has further announced ongoing plans to incorporate sustainability and reduce its carbon footprint in 2023.
The objective is to achieve 30 per cent fewer emissions per passenger/km by 2030, have 10 per cent of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as its power source, and have 64 per cent of the fleet consisting of NextGen aircraft.
The seats in the economy cabin also meet the highest standards of comfort on the market.
This is expected to help customers benefit from a streamlined travel experience between Europe and East Africa through the three hubs and improved connections to 26 beyond Nairobi’s destinations.
Through the partnership between KLM and Kenya Airways, the expanded code-share will see the airlines have a combined three hubs (Amsterdam, Paris, Nairobi).
This will enable passengers to have seamless connections through booking on any of the three Air France flights (Paris-Nairobi), 14 Kenya Airways flights (7 Amsterdam-Nairobi and 7 Paris-Nairobi) and 7 KLM flights (Amsterdam-Nairobi).
According to Kenya Tourism Research Institute’s Annual Tourism Sector Performance Report – 2022, Kenya registered a 70.5 per cent increase in international arrivals to 1,483,752 persons in 2022 compared to 870,465 persons in 2021.
