AIR France, the French national carrier has inaugurated its first flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA).
The airline's expansion is set to offer travellers more choices and contribute to growth of the tourism industry, while showing confidence in the country as a destination for business and leisure travel.
Commenting on the rollout of the new route, Air France-KLM General Manager for East and Southern Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana, Mr Marius van der Ham, said the route will be operated three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday with Boeing 787-9.
"We are confident that this new route will bring significant benefits to both Tanzania and France, strengthening cultural and economic ties between our two countries," Mr van der Ham said.
Additionally, the airline's expansion is set to offer travellers more choices and contribute to the growth of the tourism industry in the country. Landing at 22:20 East African time, the flight is a continuation of the airline's existing service from Paris to Zanzibar.
The new route schedule will see passengers' departure from Charles de Gaulle at 10:30am and arrive at Dar at 22:20pm via a stopover in Zanzibar at 20:15pm. It will then depart from Dar es Salaam at 23:50 and is expected to land at Charles de Gaulle at 7:55.
pic.twitter.com/qSyu1IG5Bi-- Nabil Hajlaoui (@HajlaouiNabil) June 13, 2023
Air France - KLM Country Manager Tanzania, Mr Alexander van de Wint said the flight will connect more customers from Dar es Salaam to Paris and beyond to more than 200 destinations worldwide.
Air France used to fly to Dar es Salaam in 1980s. Air France started flying since 1933 with an activity divided between passengers' transport, cargo transport and aeronautical maintenance.
Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Transavia make up the Air France-KLM Group. The Group relies on its powerful hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol to offer a vast international network. Its Flying Blue frequent flyer programme has over 20 million members.