From September 7, Air France will increase its frequencies between Johannesburg (JNB) and Paris (CDG) from seven flights per week to ten flights per week, to meet increased demand for flights during the Rugby World Cup later this year, Wilson Tauro, Country Manager Southern Africa for Air France-KLM told Travel News.
The additional frequencies will operate on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays as follows:
- Flight AF987 departs JNB at 23h55 and arrives in Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 10h40 the following morning.
- Flight AF982 departs CDG at 11h00 and arrives in Johannesburg at 21h40 the same day.
These flights are operated on a Boeing 777-300 aircraft and will increase Air France’s weekly offer by 1 400 seats during the Rugby World Cup period.
“The extra flights mean the airline will, on these three extra days, offer 1 000 daily seats from Johannesburg to Paris,” Tauro added.
The Rugby World Cup takes place from September 8 until October 28.
Milestone year
It is a milestone year for the airline group, as Air France is celebrating 70 years of operations to/from South Africa and KLM 85 years.
It is also one of the only airline groups to fly to/from South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Business Class cabin
Air France will introduce its new refurbished Business Class cabin on its Johannesburg route starting March 27.
The 48 seat cabin has new sliding doors which allows each passenger to have a totally private space, out of sight from the other passengers in the cabin.
The seats located in the centre of the cabin have been redesigned to create a greater sense of privacy for passengers travelling together. These seats are now equipped with a central panel that can be lowered.
The seats at the front of the Business cabin have extra space in front of them for additional comfort.
All of the airline’s long-haul Business cabins will be equipped with seats that transform into full-flat beds by the end of 2023, compared to 90% today.
Have a look at the image below to see all the features of the new Business Class cabin.
Johannesburg routes
Air France operates daily flights from Johannesburg to Paris, and KLM daily flights from Johannesburg to Amsterdam (AMS).
Cape Town routes
Air France operates three-weekly flights from Cape Town to Paris, but only until March 26. “We expect Air France flights back again [on this route] as of October 27 this year,” Tauro said.
KLM offers ten-weekly flights from Cape Town (CPT) to Amsterdam until March 26. Thereafter it will be reduced to daily flights.
