e-Travel Blackboard (press release), Australia
Air France KLM 2006/2007 winter schedule
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Strong increase in capacity to Latin America and Asia
3.6% increase in Air France and KLM’s combined offer
For the winter 2006/2007 season, the Air France KLM
Group’s seat capacity will grow by 3.6% compared with
winter 2005/2006, with a 3.0% increase on the
long-haul network and 5.7% on the medium-haul network.
Both airlines will expand capacity to long-haul
destinations, particularly to Latin America (up 9.5%)
and Asia (up 6.1%). Capacity to Africa and the Middle
East will be increased by 2.1%. Capacity to North
America (up 0.2%) will remain stable compared with the
winter 2005-2006 season, while capacity to the French
Caribbean & Indian Ocean networks will be slightly
reduced (down 1.9%).
On the medium-haul network, Air France is boosting
capacity mainly to Eastern Europe, while the addition
of the seventh connecting bank at Schiphol airport
this summer will enable KLM to increase its number of
frequencies.
The fleet modernization programme continues, with the
arrival this winter of three Airbus A330-200s at KLM
to replace their Boeing 767-300s, the phasing out of
Air France’s remaining Boeing 737-500s, replaced by
Airbus A318/319/320s and the continued roll-out of the
new Boeing 777-300ERs on the Caribbean and Indian
Ocean routes. By the end of this winter season,
practically the entire Air France long-haul fleet will
be equipped with the new cabin interiors.
Air France and KLM are coordinating flight times and
expanding their respective schedules to provide their
customers with the most attractive combined offering.
Passengers now benefit from a choice of two flight
times on the same day by opting to travel one way with
either KLM via Amsterdam or with Air France via Paris
at the most attractive fares available. Flying Blue
programme members can benefit from a privileged
service, earn and use Miles on all routes served by
both airlines.
Focus on the Air France schedule
Long-haul schedule (2.7% increase in available
seat-km)
In line with this summer, Air France has upped its
capacity to the Middle East by 13.8% in available
seat-km.
This winter, Djeddah will be served non-stop four
times weekly by a "Dedicate" Airbus A319. The
suspension of the onward segment from Cairo to Djeddah
has resulted in more available seat capacity to Cairo.
There will be more frequencies to Riyadh (six weekly
flights by a "Dedicate" A319). This summer’s new daily
service to Amman is maintained and the three weekly
flights to Damascus will be increased to four this
winter.
Two-digit growth in capacity on the Latin America
network, up 11.9%. There will be more flights to Sao
Paulo with twelve weekly frequencies, including one
flight operated with a Boeing 777-300 and a second
flight five times weekly by Airbus 330-200. Thanks to
the cooperation agreement signed with the Brazilian
airline TAM in July 2006, Air France now serves a
total of 16 destinations in Brazil.
There will be more flights to Mexico City, with twelve
weekly flights instead of nine last winter, and an
additional daily flight operated with our SkyTeam
alliance partner, Aeromexico.
Air France is increasing its capacity to Argentina and
Chile, offering a total of twelve weekly frequencies,
up from last year’s ten. Flights to Santiago (five
times weekly) and Buenos Aires (one daily flight) are
all non-stop.
In Asia (capacity increase of 5.6%), Air France and
Delta, SkyTeam partners, have coordinated their
flights to India. Delta has suspended its
Paris-Chennai (Madras) service, a route which Air
France will be operating as of 30 October with three
weekly flights by Airbus A340.
There will be more flights from Paris to Mumbai
(Bombay), operated with Boeing 777-300 during the peak
season between December and February, and also to
Bangalore, now served daily.
Flights to Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City) will
continue to connect in Bangkok with larger aircraft
(Boeing 747-400) to cater to increased demand.
Finally, the three additional frequencies to Hong Kong
and Shanghai, launched this summer, have been
maintained, making a total of ten weekly flights.
In Africa, the main changes concern Johannesburg which
will benefit from two additional frequencies, making a
total of twelve weekly flights. There will be a fifth
weekly frequency to Port Harcourt, once the airport
reopens. Kenya Airways will be reopening its
Paris-Nairobi route served three times weekly in
partnership with Air France.
In addition to the roll-out of the new Boeing 777-300
on the Caribbean and Indian Ocean routes, there will
be more flights to most destinations to cater to
increased demand during the winter season: non-stop
flights to and from Punta Cana and Santo Domingo will
resume. Havana and Mauritius will once again be served
daily and there will now be six weekly flights to the
Seychelles, in cooperation with Air Seychelles,
instead of the previous five.
In North America, as was the case last winter, the
summer flight schedule has been reorganized to match
seasonal traffic demand. There will be fewer
frequencies and aircraft changes to a certain number
of destinations.
On this network, the main change concerns the
reorganization of services to Los Angeles and Papeete.
The new flight schedule will enable Air France to
offer four weekly flights to Papeete via Los Angeles,
and sixteen flights instead of the previous fourteen
between Paris and the Californian capital. Our
code-share agreement with Air Tahiti Nui has been
terminated.
The twice-daily service launched this summer between
Paris and Houston will continue, with twelve weekly
frequencies.
Since the beginning of September, a code-share
agreement with our SkyTeam partner Northwest has
enabled Air France to boost seat capacity on flights
to Detroit. This winter, the Paris-CDG – Detroit route
will be served with twelve weekly flights.
Medium-haul schedule (7.2% increase in available
seat-km)
Growth will mainly focus on Eastern Europe in addition
to the three new destinations added to the medium-haul
network this summer: Katowice in Poland (three daily
flights), Leipzig in Germany (two daily flights) and
Yerevan in Armenia (three weekly flights) and more
frequencies to Zagreb in Croatia (now served
twice-daily).
There will be more flights to Dublin (seven daily
flights since this summer) and Edinburgh (three daily
flights). The Paris-CDG – Helsinki service has been
supplemented with a fifth daily departure, in
cooperation with Finnair.
In southern Europe, Air France will serve Athens
four-times weekly instead of the previous three last
winter. Air Europa has been operating twice-daily to
Valencia and three-times daily to Malaga on a
code-share basis with Air France since this summer.
Portugalia operates four daily flights to Oporto.
In line with this summer, the Paris-CDG – Algiers
route will be supplemented with a third daily
departure. Finally, the launch this summer of a second
daily flight to Tel Aviv will be continued.
On the inter-European network, the Nantes-London
Gatwick and Bordeaux-Dublin flight services have been
suspended.
Domestic schedule (1.4% increase in available-seat km)
The Paris-Orly – Annecy route will be supplemented
with three weekly frequencies (thereby increasing the
number of daily flights to four during peak periods)
and the introduction of an ATR-72 seating 70 replacing
the ATR-42 seating 48.
The third daily Paris-CDG-Rennes flight and the fourth
daily Lyon-Rennes flight, launched this summer, will
continue to operate during the winter season.
Finally, the Le Havre-Rouen-Lyon service will be
suspended early January. The Le Havre-Lyon and
Rouen-Lyon routes will be operated three times daily
with the ATR42 with a seat capacity for 48 passengers.