Air France will be resuming flights to Manila for the winter 2024-25 season, marking its return to the city after more than twenty years. Starting from December 7, the airline will operate three weekly flights between Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) and its hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), using Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
The last time Air France operated its own flights to the Philippines was in 2004 before discontinuing the service following its merger with KLM. Since then, the airline has maintained a presence in the country through a codeshare agreement on KLM’s flights from Amsterdam to Manila.
Currently, KLM offers five weekly flights to Manila via Taipei’s Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, but this will be reduced to four flights per week at the start of the winter season. Air France’s new route to Manila will expand its service in the Asia-Pacific region to 14 destinations for the winter season, including cities like Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Mumbai, and Singapore.
Manila currently has only one nonstop flight from Europe, operated by Turkish Airlines from Istanbul Airport, along with one-stop flights from Amsterdam by KLM.
According to Sabre Market Intelligence data shows that Manila-London was the largest Philippines-Europe O&D city pair during 2023, attracting 291,000 two-way passengers. Manila-Amsterdam was second with 125,000, followed by Manila-Paris in third with 116,000.
Meanwhile, The Department of Tourism warmly welcomes the announcement of French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontane on the resumption of direct flights between France and the Philippines via the Paris-Manila nonstop service of Air France starting in December which will enhance ease of travel and provide much needed connectivity to Europe.
“We are grateful to Air France for its confidence in the Philippines and we are eager to showcase the best of what our country has to offer via this new gateway. Through this air route, we are eager to welcome more visitors from France and the European Union, who will discover and love the unique charm of our islands, the warmth of Filipino hospitality, and the richness of our culture and heritage,” stated Tourism Secretary Christina G. Frasco.
With France holding the second highest number of visitor arrivals from the European Union, this direct connection will provide unparalleled convenience for travelers, boosting tourism and enabling a more convenient journey to the Philippines.
“We are optimistic that this will pave the way for further expansion of direct flights to other key European destinations in the near future,” she added.