A 70 year-long history of Air France service between Paris and Reunion

On 13 February 2015, Air France celebrates 70 years of service between Paris and Reunion Island.

In 1945, Air France launched its first flight between Paris and St Denis de la Reunion by Lockheed 60, which took 5 days and had 14 stopovers, and marked the beginning of a regular commercial service that the Company has continued to operate ever since.

The Company currently operates a non-stop service between Paris-Orly and St Denis up to 11 times a week by Boeing 777-300 equipped with 468 seats, transporting over 400,000 passengers per year. 

“Today’s celebration of this historic service between Reunion and Paris is an opportunity for me to reaffirm Air France’s attachment and privileged ties with the “Intense island”. Every day, 161 Air France staff and 198 Servair staff based in Reunion do their utmost to offer our customers a high quality service”, stated Frédéric Gagey, Chairman and CEO of Air France, at the celebrations organized to mark this 70th anniversary.

Air France currently offers the largest number of flights between the Indian Ocean and Paris, with direct and rapid connections to 33 cities in France on departure from Paris-Orly.

Since December 2014, Air France has been able to offer a wider choice of destinations thanks to code-share agreements signed with Air Austral. This partnership makes it easier for customers to travel between Europe and the Indian Ocean, beyond the Paris-Charles de Gaulle and St. Denis de la Reunion airports. In this way, this partnership contributes to the island’s tourism development with the arrival of new European tourists.

On board, the Company’s products and services are tailored to customers’ expectations:

- In Business class, from its cabin amenities to the meals served on board, Air France provides an ever more refined service, combining modernity and comfort. Since February, the triple-starred chef Anne-Sophie Pic has been preparing new dishes available on flights departing Paris. And because every detail counts, new tableware designed by Jean-Marie Massaud highlights each dish;

- In Premium Economy, customers enjoy a more comfortable way of travelling at affordable prices, in a separate cabin, with a seat offering 40% more space than Economy class;

- In Economy, customers can enjoy the essentials of Air France service at attractive prices, such as access to an in-flight entertainment programme offering some 600 hours of on-demand programming.

Air France is a key economic player in Reunion, helping to foster economic development and employ-ment in the island for Roland-Garros airport and its subcontractors, travel agents and hotel chains. The Company thus promotes the development of tourism, notably thanks to its solid partnership with the IRT (Reunion Island Tourism) and its recent code-share agreement with Air Austral. Air France also sup-ports the island’s cultural and social development with numerous partnerships with local players in the humanitarian, cultural, sports and scientific domains.