Air France Adds Transatlantic Connection To Phoenix

Air France is launching transatlantic service between Paris and Phoenix in May, marking the first nonstop flights between France and the U.S. city.

The French capital becomes the third European destination to be served nonstop from Phoenix, along with Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR). It is estimated that the new route will provide a $30 million annual economic boost to the Arizona city.

Flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) will begin on May 23, operating three times per week during the summer season on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. A three-class Boeing 787-9 will be deployed on the 5,468-mi. (4,752-nm) sector.

“Becoming the 22nd North American gateway for Air France next summer season, this new service symbolizes our commitment to enhancing the transatlantic travel connection,” says Boaz Hulsman, Air France-KLM group vice president of commercial for North America.

Phoenix currently has two nonstop connections to Europe, with Oneworld alliance partners American Airlines and British Airways each serving LHR daily using Boeing 777-200 and Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, respectively. From May 18, German leisure carrier Condor will also resume 3X-weekly seasonal flights from FRA onboard A330-900neos.

For Air France, Phoenix will become the 17th U.S. city in the airline’s network served nonstop from CDG, compared with 14 during the summer 2023 season. Alongside the addition of PHX, the carrier plans to offer its recently launched Raleigh-Durham International Airport route year-round and return to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in May, having suspended flights in September 2022.

Preliminary figures for 2023 provided by Sabre Market Intelligence show that Paris was the third-largest O&D market in Europe from Phoenix, with about 27,000 one-way passengers, behind London on 49,200 passengers and Rome on 28,600 passengers.