AIR FRANCE-KLM Group on Tuesday said it would start non-stop direct flights from Manila to Paris on Dec. 8 to boost tourist arrivals in both countries.
At a Palace briefing, Air France-KLM General Manager for Southeast Asia and Pacific Femke Kroese said the direct flights, would operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Each flight would take 14 hours to complete.
She said the airline would start ticket sales for the flights on Tuesday, with economy class flight return fares starting at $1,258 (P71,030.45).
The direct flights would connect the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which Ms. Fontanel said would serve as a gateway to Europe for Filipinos.
“The Philippine market has always been on our radar and Southeast Asia as a whole is a key strategic market for Air France and KLM,” Ms. Kroese said.
“Knowing that Paris is the second most visited destination by Filipinos in Europe, we do believe that there is a strong market.”
Last week, Philippine Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said the direct flights were expected to roll out in December, after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and its French counterpart the Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile Française signed a deal to boost aviation cooperation.
French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel told the same briefing that the direct flights will boost trade and tourism exchanges.
“In foreign direct investment, by removing a psychological barrier to trade and boosting the interest of French and European investors in a particularly dynamic Philippine market,” the envoy said.
She added that the modernization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) made the “project possible” or getting it off the ground. Air France-KLM is also set to reopen an office in Manila following the launch of the direct flights.
Air France-KLM is also set to reopen an office in Manila following the launch of the direct flights. — John Victor D. Ordoñez