Air France

Air France (formally Société Air France) is one of the world's largest airlines. Air France is based in Paris, France, and is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM Group. It operates worldwide scheduled passenger and cargo services to 185 destinations in 83 countries. Its global hub is at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Paris Orly Airport, Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport and Nice Côte d'Azur Airport are secondary hubs.^[1].

Prior to the merger with KLM, Air France was France's primary national flag carrier, employing 71,654 people in March 2004.^[2] By March 2007, the airline employed 102,422 staff.^[1]

The company's corporate headquarters, initially in central Paris, is at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle north of Paris. Between April 2001 and March 2002 the airline carried 43.3mn passengers and had total revenues of €12.53bn. Régional, Air France's regional airline subsidiary operates the majority of its regional domestic and European scheduled services with a fleet of regional jet and turboprop aircraft.^[3] Air France is also accredited by IATA with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) for its safety practices.^[4]

According to Air France-KLM, the company's principal activities are:

• Passenger transport: first European airline with 25.5% of market share (November 2004) and largest airline in the world in terms of operating revenue.
• Freight transport: largest company for international freight transportation without integration. With integration, Air France-KLM is third worldwide behind FedEx Express and UPS Airlines.
• Airplane maintenance and repair: largest multi-services operator.

History

Air France was formed on October 7, 1933 from a merger of Air Orient, Compagnie Générale Aéropostale, Société Générale de Transport Aérien (SGTA) - the first commercial airline company in France founded as Lignes Aériennes Farman in 1919 - Air Union and Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aérienne (CIDNA). The constituent members had already built extensive networks across Europe, to French colonies in North Africa and farther afield.

During World War II, Air France moved to Casablanca, Morocco.

Passengers disembarking from a Sud-Est SE-161 Languedoc

On June 26, 1945, all French air transport companies were nationalised. On December 29, 1945 a decree of the French government granted Air France the management of the entire French air transport network.

Air France appointed its first flight attendants in 1946. The same year the airline opened its first air terminal at Les Invalides in central Paris. It was linked to Paris Le Bourget Airport, Air France's first operations and engineering base, by coach. At that time the network covered 160,000 km, claimed to be the longest in the world.^[5]

Société Nationale Air France was set up on January 1, 1946.

Air France inaugurated direct scheduled service between Paris and New York on July 1, 1946. Douglas DC-4 piston-engined airliners covered the route in just under 20 hours.^[5]

In 1946 and 1948, respectively, the French government authorised the creation of two private airlines: Transports Aériens Internationaux - later Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux - (TAI) and SATI (which became Union Aéromaritime de Transport [UAT] in 1949).^[5]

In 1948 Air France operated one of the largest fleets in the world, numbering 130 aircraft.^[5]

Compagnie Nationale Air France was created by act of parliament on June 16, 1948. Initially, the government held 70%. In subsequent years the French state's direct and indirect shareholdings reached almost 100%. In mid-2002 the state held 54%.^[5][6]

On August 4, 1948 Max Hymans was appointed president. During his 13-year tenure he implemented modernisation centred on introduction of jet aircraft. In 1949 the company became a co-founder of Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques (SITA).^[5]

Air France propliner in Tunisia in 1952.

In 1952 Air France moved its operations and engineering to the new Paris Orly Airport South terminal. By that time the network had further expanded, covering 250,000km.^[5]

On September 26, 1953 the government instructed Air France to share long-distance routes with new private airlines. This was followed by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport's imposition of an accord on Air France, Aigle Azur, TAI and UAT, under which some routes to Africa, Asia and the Pacific were transferred.^[5]

On February 23, 1960 the Ministry of Public Works and Transport transferred Air France's domestic monopoly to Air Inter. To compensate, Air France was given a stake in Air Inter. On February 24, 1960 Air France was instructed to share African routes with Air Afrique and UAT.^[5][6]

On February 1, 1963 the government formalised division of routes between Air France and its private sector rivals. Air France was to withdraw services to West Africa (with the exception of Senegal), Central Africa (except Burundi and Rwanda), Southern Africa (including South Africa), Libya in North Africa, Bahrain and Oman in the Middle East, Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) in South Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand as well as New Caledonia and Tahiti. These routes were allocated to the new UTA (the result of a merger between TAI and UAT). UTA also obtained exclusive rights between Japan, New Caledonia and New Zealand, South Africa and Réunion island in the Indian Ocean, as well as Los Angeles and Tahiti.^[5][6]

From 1974 Air France began shifting the bulk of operations to a new Charles de Gaulle Airport. By the early 1980s only Corsica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, most services to French Guyana, Réunion, the Maghreb region, Eastern Europe (except the USSR), Southern Europe (except Greece and Italy) and one daily service to New York JFK remained at Orly.

Air France Concorde in flight.

On January 21, 1976 Air France operated its inaugural supersonic transport (SST) service on the Paris Charles de Gaulle to Rio (via Dakar) route. Supersonic services from Paris CDG to New York JFK (the only remaining Concorde service until its end) as well as from Paris CDG to Washington D.C. commenced the following year. Paris to New York was covered in three hours and 23 minutes, about twice the speed of sound. Approval for flights to the United States was initially withheld due to noise protests. Eventually, services to Mexico City via Washington, D.C. were started as well.

Air France has codeshared with regional French airlines. TAT was the most prominent. It applied Air France livery to several of its aircraft on Air France's regional international routes.^[7]

By 1983, Air France's golden jubilee, the workforce numbered more than 34,000, its fleet about 100 jet aircraft (including 33 Boeing 747s) and its 634,400 km network served 150 destinations in 73 countries. This made Air France the fourth-largest scheduled passenger airline in the world, as well as the second-largest scheduled freight carrier.^[5]

In 1986 the government unexpectedly relaxed its policy of dividing traffic rights for scheduled services between Air France, Air Inter and UTA, without route overlaps between them. The decision opened some of Air France's most lucrative routes on which it had enjoyed a government-sanctioned monopoly since 1963 and which were within its exclusive sphere of influence, to rival airlines, notably UTA. The changes enabled UTA to launch scheduled services to new destinations within Air France's sphere, in competition with that airline. Paris-San Francisco became the first route UTA served in competition with Air France non-stop from Paris. Air France responded by extending some non-stop Paris-Los Angeles services to Papeete, Tahiti, which competed with UTA on Los Angeles-Papeete. UTA's ability to secure traffic rights outside its traditional sphere in competition with Air France was the result of a campaign to lobby the government to enable it to grow faster, becoming more dynamic and more profitable. This infuriated Air France.^[8]

On January 12, 1990 the operations of government-owned Air France, semi-public Air Inter and wholly private UTA were merged into an enlarged Air France.^[5] Air France's acquisition of UTA and Air Inter was part of an early 1990s government plan to create a unified, national carrier with the economies of scale and global reach to counter potential threats from the liberalisation of the EU's internal air transport market.^[9]

Air France e-check kiosks

On August 31, 1994 Stephen Wolf, a former United Airlines CEO, was appointed adviser to the Air France group's chairman Christian Blanc. Wolf has been credited with the introduction of Air France's hub and spoke operation at Paris Charles de Gaulle. (Wolf resigned in 1996 to take over as CEO at US Airways.)^[10][11]

A new holding company, Groupe Air France, was set up by decree on July 25, 1994. Groupe Air France became operational on September 1, 1994. It acquired the Air France group's majority shareholdings in Air France and Air Inter (subsequently renamed Air France Europe).

In 1997 Air France Europe was absorbed into Air France.

On February 10, 1999 Lionel Jospin's Plural Left government approved the airline's partial privatisation. Its shares were listed on the Paris stock exchange on February 22, 1999.

In June 1999 Air France and Delta Air Lines formed a bilateral transatlantic partnership. On June 22, 2000 this expanded into the SkyTeam global airline alliance.^[5].^[1]

Air France-KLM merger

Air France Boeing 777-200ER tail

On September 30, 2003, Air France and Netherlands-based KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, announced the merger of the two airlines, the new company to be known as Air France-KLM. The merger became reality on May 5, 2004. At that point former Air France shareholders owned 81% of the new firm (44% owned by the French state, 37% by private shareholders), former KLM shareholders the rest. The decision of the Jean-Pierre Raffarin government to reduce the French state's shareholding in the former Air France group from 54.4% to 44% of the newly created Air France-KLM Group effectively privatised the new airline. In December 2004 the state sold 18.4% of its equity in Air France-KLM. The state's shareholding in Air France-KLM subsequently fell to just under 20%.^[1]

Air France Boeing 747-400 at Paris-CDG leaving for Montreal-Trudeau.

Air France-KLM is the largest airline in the world in terms of operating revenues, and third-largest (largest in Europe) in passenger kilometers.^[1]

Air France-KLM is part of the SkyTeam alliance with Aeroflot, Delta Air Lines, Aeroméxico, Korean Air, Czech Airlines, Alitalia, Northwest Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Air Europa and Continental Airlines. Air France and KLM continue to fly under their own brand names.

New transatlantic profit and revenue sharing joint venture

Air France operates the Boeing 777 aircraft.

On October 17, 2007 the creation of a fully integrated profit and revenue-sharing transatlantic joint venture between Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines was announced during a press conference at Air France-KLM's Roissy-Charles de Gaulle headquarters. The venture will become effective on March 29, 2008. It will exploit new transatlantic opportunities to capture a major share of long-haul business traffic from London's Heathrow Airport, which will open to unrestricted competition on that day as a result of the "Open Skies" pact between the EU and US. It is envisaged that Air France and Delta, as well as fellow SkyTeam members Continental and Northwest, will begin nine daily round trips between Heathrow and destinations in the US, including a daily Heathrow-Los Angeles service by Air France. This route was discontinued in October 2008. Once the new Air France-Delta venture has received antitrust immunity, it will extend to the other two transatlantic SkyTeam partners. This will enable all four partners to codeshare flights as well as to share revenue and profit.^[12][13]

The new transatlantic joint venture marks the Air France-KLM Group's second major expansion in the London market, following the launch of CityJet-operated short-haul routes from London City Airport that have been aimed at business travellers in the City's financial services industry.^[12]

Destinations

Main article: Air France destinations

Most of Air France's international flights operate from Paris Charles-de-Gaulle. Air France also has a strong presence at Paris Orly and Lyon Saint-Exupéry. As Air France becomes more a strategic partner with Delta Air Lines through the Skyteam Alliance and through a substantial joint venture, new routes and code-share agreements are developing rapidly. Together Air France and Delta offer an immense, well-balanced network to Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas for a truly global offering.

Fleet

Passenger

The Air France passenger fleet consists of the following aircraft:^[14]

The average fleet age of Air France is 9.1 years as of March 2008.^[16]

Cargo

Airbus A318

Orders

Airbus A320-200

• On 24 May 2007 Air France announced it was planning to phase out the 747 by 2012, and placed an order for an additional 13 Boeing 777-300ERs and five Boeing 777-200Fs. The airline had also converted options for two more A380s into firm orders. This will bring the total of these aircraft for Air France to 33 Boeing 777-300ERs, 10 Boeing 777-200Fs, and 12 A380-800.^[17]
• On 22 February 2005 Air France ordered a further four Boeing 777-300ERs, adding to 10 previously ordered (four delivered). The airline had previously ordered 18 Boeing 777-200ERs.
• Air France has ordered 12 Airbus A380 aircraft, with options on a further two. Delivery will start in 2009. The A380 will be used from Paris to Montréal and New York and as additional aircraft arrive, to Beijing and Tokyo.^[18]
• On 20 May 2005 Air France signed an agreement with Boeing to have three of its former Boeing 747-400 Combi aircraft - currently operated in all-passenger configuration - converted to the Boeing 747-400SF Special Freighter model. The modified aircraft will accelerate the phasing-out of the remaining, aging Boeing 747-200F freighters.^[19].
• On 23 May 2005 Air France agreed to buy five 777 Freighters (with three further options), making it the launch customer of the 777 Freighter along with Air Canada, which ordered two. Air Canada later canceled its order due to bankruptcy restructuring. First delivery will be in late 2008, starting the replacement of the airline's Boeing 747-200F fleet.^[19].

Fleet history

Airbus A319-100 landing

Air France entered the jet age in 1953 with the original, short-lived De Havilland Comet series 1, the world's first jetliner.

The airline started uninterrupted pure jet operations in 1960 with the Sud Aviation Caravelle and the Boeing 707. It was also a major operator of the Vickers Viscount turboprop.

Air France was an early Boeing 747 operator. It eventually operated one of the world's largest 747 fleets.

In 1974 Air France became the world's first operator of the Airbus A300 twin-engined widebodied plane, Airbus Industrie's first commercial airliner for which it was a launch customer. Air France was also a launch customer for the revolutionary, fly-by-wire (FBW) Airbus A320 narrowbody twin, along with Air Inter and British Caledonian. It became the first airline to take delivery of the A320 in March 1988.

In 1976 Air France became one of only two airlines - British Airways being the other - to introduce the Anglo-French BAC-Aérospatiale Concorde, the world's first and only operationally successful supersonic airliner, into commercial airline service.

Concorde at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

The five Air France Concordes were grounded on May 31, 2003, as a result of insufficient demand following the 2000 accident, as well as higher fuel and maintenance costs. However, it is widely believed that Air France chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta's fear of personal criminal liability in the event of another Concorde accident was the real reason. Airbus's subsequent decision to stop supporting the in-service Concorde fleet forced British Airways to retire its own fleet. The Airbus decision to end Concorde support came at an inopportune time for British Airways as it had just completed a refurbishment of the aircraft's interiors and invested in post-2000 crash modifications. British Airways flew its last Concorde service on October 24, 2003. Concorde F-BVFA was transferred to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annexe of the National Air & Space Museum in Chantilly area of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, near Washington Dulles Airport. F-BVFB was given to Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum in Germany, F-BTSD to the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Paris, while F-BVFC returned to its place of manufacture in Toulouse at the Airbus factory. F-BVFF is the only example to remain at Charles de Gaulle.^[20]

Air France signed as a launch customer for the Airbus A380 "superjumbo" in 2001.^[21]

Air France has begun the process of removing the Boeing 747s from its fleet, in favour of the Boeing 777-300ER. A letter of intent has been signed for 6 747s to be purchased and converted to freighters and it hopes to have completely phased out all 747s by 2013.^[22]

Cabin

In-flight AVOD and dessert course in L'Espace Affaires.

Air France has three primary classes of international service: L'Espace Première (First), L'Espace Affaires (Business), and Tempo (Economy). European shorthaul flights feature Tempo class service. For flights to the Caribbean and Indian Ocean, a premium economy class, Alizé, is also offered.^[23] Inflight entertainment via AVOD (Audio Video on Demand) is available in select cabins.

L'Espace Première

L'Espace Première, Air France's longhaul first class product, is available on Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. The L'Espace Première cabin features four to eight wood and leather seats which recline 180°, forming two meter long beds. Each seat features a 10.4" touchscreen TV monitor with interactive gaming and AVOD, a privacy divider, automassage feature, reading light, storage drawer, noise-cancelling headphones, personal telephone, and laptop power ports. À la carte on-demand meal services feature entrées created by chef Guy Martin. Turndown service includes a mattress, duvet and pillow. Private lounge access is offered worldwide.

L'Espace Affaires

L'Espace Affaires lie-flat seats on an Air France A330-200.

L'Espace Affaires, Air France's longhaul business class product, is available on Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-200ER, and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. L'Espace Affaires features lie-flat seats which recline to two meters in length. Each seat includes a 10.4" touchscreen TV monitor with interactive gaming and AVOD, reading light, personal telephone, and laptop power ports. Meal service features three-course meals and a cheese service, or an express menu served shortly after takeoff.

Tempo

Tempo cabin on an Air France 747-400.

Tempo, Air France's economy class product, features seats that recline up to 118°. The latest longhaul Tempo seat, which debuted on the Boeing 777-300ER, includes winged headrests, a personal telephone, and a touchscreen TV monitor with interactive gaming and partial AVOD, with films and programs restarting every 15 minutes. Shorthaul Tempo services are operated by Airbus A320 family aircraft with different seating arrangements. Air France is one of the few airlines who features winged headrests on shorthaul aircraft in both classes. On short haul flights, a three course cold meal is served. On long haul flights there is a choice between two main courses when available. Limited free alcoholic beverages are available on all flights. On flights over 10.5 hours, a self-service snack buffet is said to be available in the galley but is not always in operation.

Premium Tempo

This new class will be available on Boeing 777 aircraft starting Autumn/Winter 2009/2010. Based on the concept of a premium economy, it is said that it will incorporate all the amenities of standard Tempo class but with a more spacious cabin, in a 2-4-2 configuration and a 38" pitch. It is expected for there to be about 32 of these new seats on the Boeing 777-300ER^[24].

Alizé

Alizé, Air France's premium economy product, is available on flights to the Caribbean and Indian Ocean (such as the Antilles, French Guiana, and Mauritius). On the Boeing 777-300ER, the Alizé cabin is located in front of the Tempo cabin and features 36 seats. Alizé seats recline up to 123° and feature massaging foot rests. A predeparture drink, enhanced meal service, and feather pillows and blankets are offered.

Codeshare agreements

Boeing 777-300ER

In addition to its Brit Air, CityJet and Régional subsidiaries, and its SkyTeam alliance partnership, Air France offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following airlines:

Subsidiaries and franchise operations

In partnership with Dutch affiliate, Transavia, Air France has launched a new low-cost subsidiary based at Paris Orly and began operations in May 2007 with leisure route services in the Mediterranean and North Africa. It is operating four "Next Generation" Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Transavia has a 40% stake, with Air France holding the rest.^[25]

Airlinair, Brit Air, CityJet, CCM Airlines and Régional all operate flights on behalf of Air France, either as subsidiaries or as franchisees.

Rail ventures

Air France and Veolia are looking into jointly operating high-speed rail services in Europe. Routes will become available to operators in accordance with European rail liberalisation on 1 January 2010.^[26]

Incidents and accidents

Twelve of the reported accidents involved loss of life.^[27]

Selected accidents and major incidents are listed below:

• On October 27, 1949 boxer Marcel Cerdan, violinist Ginette Neveu, some members of the Barnum & Bailey Circus and Walt Disney Studios chief merchandiser Kay Kamen^[28] died when an Air France flight crashed into a mountain after two attempts to land at the São Miguel Island airport in the Azores. [1]

• On the nights of June 12, 1950 and June 14, 1950 two Air France Douglas DC-4s (registration F-BBDE and F-BBDM, respectively) crashed into the sea off Bahrain while landing, with a combined loss of 86 lives. The first accident claimed the lives of 40 of the 53 occupants and the second 46 out of 52 occupants' lives. Both aircraft had operated the Karachi, Pakistan, to Bahrain portion of Air France's Saigon, Vietnam - Paris sector. The accident investigators concluded that the pilot in command did not maintain his correct altitude until the runway lights became visible during the approach to Bahrain in the first accident, and that the pilot in command did not keep an accurate check of his altitude and rate of descent during the approach procedure in the second accident. [2][3][4]

• On February 3, 1951 a Douglas DC-4 (registration F-BBDO) operating Air France's Douala, Cameroon, to Niamey, Niger, sector hit the 13,354 feet high Cameroon Mountain near Bouea, Cameroon, west of Douala, at a height of 8,500 feet (2,600 m). The aircraft was destroyed, killing all 29 occupants. The mountain was probably only partially visible from the flight deck due to the mist surrounding it. Although the pilot immediately turned to the left, the plane hit the steeply rising terrain with its left wing. The accident investigators concluded that the crew followed an inaccurate procedure and relied on imprecise navigation. The investigators furthermore determined that the crew did not check the draft. Moreover, they cited the crew's error of judgement and over-confidence when flying over the mountain mass as additional contributory factors.[5]

• On March 3, 1952 a SNCASE SE-161 Languedoc (registration F-BCUM) operating a passenger flight from Nice Le Var Airport to Paris Le Bourget Airport crashed shortly after takeoff with the loss of all 38 lives on board. Soon after takeoff from Le Var Airport, the aircraft began banking to the left. This increased progressively until the aircraft flipped over on its back and crashed. The accident investigators attributed the accident to the aircraft's blocked ailerons to the left, as a result of a mechanical fault related to the design.[6]

• On April 29, 1952 a Douglas C-54A (registration F-BELI) operating a German internal service from Frankfurt Rhein-Main Airport to Berlin Tempelhof Airport came under attack from two Soviet MiG 15 fighters while passing through one of the Allied air corridors over East Germany. Although the attack had severely damaged the plane, necessitating the shutdown of enginess three and four, the pilot landed safely at West Berlin's Tempelhof Airport. An inspection of the aircraft at Tempelhof revealed that it had been hit by 89 shots fired from the Soviet MiGs during the air attack. There were no fatalities among the 17 occupants (six crew, eleven passengers). The Soviet military authorities defended this attack on a civilian aircraft by claiming the Air France plane was outside the air corridor at the time of attack.[7]

• On September 1, 1953 a Lockheed L-749A Constellation (registration F-BAZZ) operating the Paris-Nice portion of a passenger flight to Hong Kong crashed into Mount Cemet, France, with the loss of all 42 lives on board. The accident occurred while the flight deck crew was preparing to land at Nice's Côte d'Azur airport, the aircraft's first scheduled stop. The accident investigation established "controlled flight into terrain (CFIT)" as the cause.[8]

• On April 8, 1957 a Douglas C-47B (registration F-BEIK) operating an Algerian passenger flight from Biskra lost height after takeoff and crashed a mile beyond the airport's runway with the loss of all 34 lives on board.[9]

• On May 31, 1958 a Douglas C-47A (registration F-BHKV) operating a non-scheduled Algerian passenger flight from Algiers to Colomb-Béchard crashed near Molière with the loss of all 15 lives on board.[10]

• On August 29, 1960 a Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation (registration F-BHBC) operating flight AF343 from Paris to Abidjan, Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire), via Dakar, Senegal, crashed into the sea with the loss of all 63 lives on board while the aircraft's flight deck crew made a second attempt to land at Dakar's Yoff Airport.[11]

• On May 10, 1961 a Lockheed L-1649A Starliner (registration F-BHBM) operating the Fort Lamy (now N'Djamena), Chad, to Marseille Marignane portion of Air France's Brazzaville, Congo - Paris sector as flight AF406 crashed in the Sahara desert near Edjele, Algeria, with the loss of all 78 lives on board. The aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,100 m) when its empennage failed. This caused it to break up in flight and crash in the Sahara desert. The accident investigators believed that the empennage separated from the rest of the aircraft as a result of the detonation of a nitrocellulose explosive device.[12]

• On September 12, 1961 a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III (registration F-BJTB) operating the Paris Orly-Rabat-Casablanca sector as flight AF2005 crashed near Rabat's Sale Airport with the loss of all 77 lives on board. At the time of the accident meteorological conditions in the local area were thick, low fog. The poor weather conditions reduced horizontal visibility and ceiling. The pilot informed ATC that he wanted to attempt a break-through over the NDB. The aircraft was destroyed by fire when it impacted the ground, killing everyone on board. The accident investigators cited the commander's error in reading his instruments as the most likely cause.[13]

• On June 3, 1962 a chartered Boeing 707-328 (registration F-BHSM) flying from Orly Airport, Paris, France, to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Atlanta, USA, crashed at Orly during takeoff. 130 out of a total of 132 people on board were killed. Two flight attendants sitting in the rear section of the aircraft were saved. The investigation found a faulty servo motor, which had led to an improper (and non-adjustable) elevator trim. Brake marks measuring 1,500 feet (457 m) were found on the runway, indicating that the flight deck crew tried to abort takeoff. The aircraft rolled right while only seven feet (two m) from the ground, causing its right wing to hit the ground. It crashed 50 yards (45 m) from the runway and exploded. [14]

• On June 22, 1962 Air France flight 117, operated with a Boeing 707-328 (registration F-BHST), crashed into a forest on a hill at an altitude of about 4,000 feet (1,200 m) during bad weather, while attempting to land at Point-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, West Indies, killing all 113 on board. The aircraft was attempting a non-precision NDB approach. A malfunctioning VOR station and poor NDB reception due to thunderstorms were blamed for the accident. [15][16]

• On March 6, 1968 a Boeing 707-328C (registration F-BLCJ) operating the Caracas-Point-à-Pitre sector of Air France flight 212 hit the southern slope of La Soufrière Mountain at an altitude of 3,937 feet, 27.5 km SSW of Le Raizet Airport with the loss of all 63 lives on board. When ATC had cleared the flight deck crew for a visual approach to Le Raizet's runway 11, the crew had reported the airfield in sight. Flight 212 started to descend from FL90 and passed Saint Claude at an altitude of about 4,400 feet (1,300 m). The accident investigators cited a visual approach procedure at night in which the descent was begun from an incorrectly identified point as the probable cause.[17]

• On September 11, 1968 a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III (registration F-BOHB) operating the Ajaccio, Corsica - Nice sector as flight AF1611 crashed into the sea near Cap d'Antibes off Nice with the loss of all 95 lives on board. The accident occurred while the flight deck crew attempted an emergency landing at Côte d'Azur Airport, following the detection of a fire in the aircraft's rear cabin 21 minutes after takeoff from Ajaccio. The accident investigators believed that the fire had started in the right lavatory and galley area.[18]

• On December 4, 1969 a Boeing 707-328B (registration F-BHSZ) operating the Caracas-Point-à-Pitre sector of Air France flight 212 crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff from Simon Bolivar International Airport with the loss of all 62 lives on board.[19]

• On June 12, 1975 a Boeing 747-128 (registration N28888) operating the sector between Bombay (now Mumbai), India, and Tel Aviv, Israel, of flight AF193 to Paris Charles de Gaulle was destroyed by fire on the ground at Bombay's Santa Cruz Airport, following an aborted takeoff. The aircraft's tyre on its right-hand main undercarriage had failed while the flight deck crew was executing a 180 degree turn at the beginning of Santa Cruz Airport's runway 27. When the flight deck crew began its takeoff run, another tyre failed as well. At that point the plane's wheels and braking assembly came into contact with the runway, starting a fire. The crew aborted takeoff. The ensuing delay in shutting down the engines, as well as the improper deployment of the airport's fire service, caused the fire to spread, leading to the plane's total destruction. There were no fatalities among the 394 occupants (18 crew and 376 passengers).[20]

• On June 27, 1976, an Airbus A300 (registration F-BVGG) operating flight AF139 from Tel Aviv to Paris via Athens was hijacked shortly after departing Athens. After refuelling in Benghazi, Libya, the hijackers demanded it be flown to Entebbe, Uganda. One hostage was freed in Benghazi and in Uganda another 155 non-Israeli or Jewish hostages were released. The flight crew remained with the hostages after Captain Bacos insisted he was responsible for them. After several days of negotiating and diplomatic interventions, Israel launched a commando raid into Entebbe to free them. During the assault all six of the hijackers were killed as were three hostages. The leader of the assault was also killed. One hostage was unaccounted for. She had been taken to Mulago Hospital prior to the assault and later killed on Idi Amin's order.

• On January 18, 1984, an explosion in the cargo hold of a Boeing 747 en route from Karachi, Pakistan, to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, shortly after departing Karachi blew a hole in the right rear cargo hold. The resulting loss of cabin pressure necessitated an immediate descent to 5,000 feet (1,500 m). The aircraft returned to Karachi without any fatalities among the 261 occupants (15 crew and 246 passengers).[21]

• On June 26, 1988, flight 296, Airbus A320-111 (registration F-GFKC) crashed near the airfield of Mulhouse Habsheim, in the Franco-German border region of Alsace. The accident occurred during an airshow while the flight deck crew was performing a flypast at low height and speed. The aircraft overflew the airfield in good weather. Seconds later the aircraft struck treetops behind the runway and crashed into a forest, as a result of flying too low and too slow. Three passengers died and about 50 were injured.^[29]

• On December 24, 1994, Flight 8969, an Airbus A300B2-1C (registration F-GBEC) was hijacked in Houari Boumedienne Airport in Algiers, Algeria, by four terrorists who belonged to the Armed Islamic Group. The terrorists intended to crash the plane over the Eiffel Tower on Boxing Day. After a failed attempt to leave Marseille following a confrontational firefight between the terrorists and the GIGN French Special Forces, the GIGN shot dead all four terrorists. (Snipers on the terminal front's roof shot dead two of the terrorists. The other two terrorists died as a result of gunshots in the cabin after about 20 minutes.) All 173 hostages survived the storming of the plane. The damage to the almost 15 year old aircraft was so severe that it was written off.

• On September 5, 1996, turbulence caused injuries to three passengers on a Boeing 747 in mid-air near Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. One died later from injuries received from an in-flight film projection screen. [22] [23].

• On April 20, 1998 an Air France flight from Bogotá's Eldorado Airport, Colombia, to Quito, Ecuador, using an aircraft leased from TAME and flown by Ecuadorian crew, crashed into a mountain near Bogotá. All 43 passengers and 10 crew died. [24] [25].

• On March 5, 1999, an ex-UTA Boeing 747-2B3F (SCD) freighter (registration F-GPAN) carrying a revenue load of 66 tons of cargo on flight AF6745 from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Chennai Meenambakkam Airport, India, via Karachi, Pakistan and Bangalore Hindustan Airport, India, crash-landed, caught fire and burned out. Meenambakkam ATC had cleared the aircraft for an ILS approach to the airport's runway 07. The crew abandoned the approach due to technical difficulties. The aircraft circled to attempt a second approach. At the end of the second approach, the aircraft's nose struck the runway while touching down because its nose gear was either not down or not locked. The plane skidded and came to rest 7,000 feet (2,100 m) down the 13,050 ft. runway. After it had come to a standstill, the crew noticed smoke on the flight deck and began to extinguish the flames. Soon after, flames erupted in the aircraft's front section. One crew member managed to escape from the flight deck via a rope ladder. The remaining four crew members were rescued by the airport fire service from the rear, before the flames engulfed the entire aircraft. The fire service was unable to extinguish the fire, as a result of which the aircraft burned out.[26]^[30]

• On July 25, 2000, flight 4590, a Concorde (registration F-BTSC) charter departing from De Gaulle airport in Paris bound for New York's JFK Airport crashed just after takeoff in Gonesse, France, impacting a hotel. All 109 people on board died, plus four persons on the ground. According to the accident investigation report, the probable cause was the destruction of one of the aircraft's main wheel tyres, as a result of passing at high speed over a part lost by a pre-departing aircraft during the takeoff run. The piercing of one of the fuel tanks by a piece of the exploding tyre ignited the leaking jet fuel and caused a loss of thrust in engine number one and two in quick succession.^[31]

• On August 2, 2005, Air France Flight 358 overshot the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport during a thunderstorm. The plane continued for 300 metres resting at the bottom of a ravine at the end of the runway adjacent to Highway 401. All 297 passengers and 12 crew survived but the plane was completely destroyed by fire. The investigation predominately blamed pilot error when faced with the severe weather conditions. Class action law suits over the incident are ongoing.

Flight 358 at Toronto Pearson International Airport

• August 26, 2008: An Air France Boeing 747 from Paris-Charles de Gaulle was making a landing at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport when it skidded off the runway and got stuck in the grass. All of the 490 passengers on board escaped with no injury.^[32]

Air France has been the target of several hijackings. These hijackings occurred in the following sequence:

• 1973 Marseille
• 1976 Benghazi (Operation Entebbe) - see below - and Ho Chi Minh City
• 1977 Benghazi
• 1983 Geneva
• 1984 Geneva, twice
• 1989 Algiers
• 1993 Nice
• 1994 Algiers - see above
• 1999 Paris.

On December 24, 2003, three Air France flights bound for Los Angeles International Airport were cancelled because of fears that terrorists were targeting these flights.

Livery

Current livery

Boeing 777 with Air France's eurowhite current livery.

Air France's livery is a Eurowhite scheme, composing of a white fuselage with blue Air France titles and a white tail with a series of parallel red and blue lines across the tail at an angle, and a small European flag at the top. This livery has been in use since the late 1970s.

Special livery

On November 14th, 2008 Air France released the first picture of an Airbus A320 with registration F-GFKJ that has been repainted in the full 1946 paint scheme to celebrate the airline's 75 years anniversary. This heritage aircraft is planned to fly under the special colors until Spring 2010- [27].

Previous liveries

Air France aircraft had a bare-metal underside, extending up to a blue cheat-line that ran across the cabin windows. Above the cheat-line the fuselage was again white, with Air France titles and a French flag. The tail was white with two thick blue lines, which tapered from the rear of the tail and met at point towards the front bottom. This basic livery, with minor variations, would appear on all post-war Air France aircraft until the late 1970s.

Photos at: DC-3 (circa 1950s) - [28] Caravelle (circa 1960s) - [29] A300-B (circa 1970s) - [30]

Additional facts

• The song featured in the Air France commercials is "Between Us" by the band Aswefall. The song played before and after Air France flights is 'Setting fire to sleepy towns.' by The Sleeping Years.

• There are ranks for the flight attendants. Two silver sleeve stripes denote a Chief Purser. One silver sleeve stripe denote a Purser. Flight attendants do not have any sleeve stripes.

References

External links

• Air France
• Air France experience
• Air France history
• Air France, la vie à bord
• Fly Air France online game
• Air France mobile site (WAP/i-Mode) (English, French)
• Air France fatal accident list - in English and French
• Financial Times, 17 October 2007 - Air France and Delta target London
• Airwise, 17 October 2007 - Air France And Delta Set Transatlantic Venture
• FT.com/Business Life, The Monday Interview, 30 September 2007 - Pilot who found the right trajectory
• The Seattle Times, Business & Technology, 25 May 2007 - Air France-KLM splits order for jets
• ASIATravelTips.com, 18 June 2001 - Air France confirms major A380 order
• M.R. Golder, The Changing Nature of French Dirigisme - A Case Study of Air France, St. Edmunds Hall, Oxford. Thesis submitted at Trinity College, 1997
• Business Wire, 16 January 1996 - Statement from Air France Group Chairman regarding Stephen M. Wolf
• The New York Times, 31 August 1994, Air France's New Adviser
• Record of Air France accidents/incidents at the ASN Aviation Safety Database

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