Air France is proud to celebrate 80 years of operations between Manchester Airport and Paris, marking eight decades of connectivity between the Northwest of England and France.
Air France’s first flight to Manchester took place on 16 June 1946, when a Dakota aircraft
F-BADX arrived from Paris Le Bourget Airport. The historic service dropped off one passenger that day and picked up a VIP party of 18 for the return journey. Shortly afterwards, Air France began operating the route three times weekly.
Today, Air France operates up to four daily flights between Manchester and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, offering customers seamless access to the airline’s extensive global network of nearly 170 destinations across 83 countries.
The route is currently operated by the Airbus A220-300, which offers a 20% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared with previous-generation aircraft, while its noise footprint is reduced by 34%. Its modern five-abreast cabin layout also ensures that 80% of customers benefit from either a window or aisle seat.
Recent booking data highlights Manchester’s continued importance within Air France’s international network.
– Aside from France, the most popular countries booked by customers travelling from Manchester include Canada, Mauritius, Nigeria, Peru and the United States.
– At the same time, passengers taking advantage of the Air France service into Manchester have been travelling from France as well Brazil, Canada, China, Nigeria and the United States to name a few.
Jerome Salemi, General Manager Air France-KLM UK & Ireland, said:
“Manchester has been part of Air France’s story for eight decades and remains one of our most important regional gateways in the UK today. Over the years, the route has continuously evolved alongside customer demand be it for business trips, holidays or visits to friends and relatives. We are proud to continue connecting the Northwest to our global network through Paris Charles de Gaulle.”
Stephen Turner, Chief Commercial Officer at Manchester Airport, added: “We’re proud to connect the North with the world, and our longstanding partnership with Air France has been central to that for almost all of the airport’s history. It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate 80 years of that partnership today – a partnership that continues to link thousands of people from our region to Paris and beyond, every single week.”
