Air France has announced a significant expansion of its service between Phoenix and Paris, marking a successful first year for the route. Starting in May 2025, the airline will increase its nonstop flights from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport to Charles de Gaulle International to five times per week, reflecting the growing demand for the route.
The Paris-Phoenix service, which launched on May 23, 2024, began with three weekly nonstop flights, making it the first direct connection between Phoenix and France. Initially, the route was operated with a Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner, offering 279 seats. Due to the strong performance of the route, Air France upgraded to a Boeing 777-200 for the winter season, increasing the aircraft’s capacity to 328 seats.
As the service frequency increases for the upcoming summer season, the route will be served by an Airbus A350-900. This modern aircraft offers 324 seats in a three-class configuration, including 34 Business class seats, 24 Premium Economy seats, and 266 seats in Economy. The larger aircraft and increased frequency will provide more options for travelers, including competitive fares and a seamless experience for connections to Air France’s extensive network of over 190 destinations.
“Within one year since the launch of their Paris service, Air France will have almost doubled the capacity on the Phoenix-Paris route. The airline has been a fantastic addition to our airport, and we are grateful for their confidence and investment in our market,” City of Phoenix Aviation Director Chad Makovsky said. “This increase means our passengers will have more options and competitive fares to not only fly to France but to the other 190 destinations that Air France serves beyond Paris.”
The new Airbus A350-900 service will begin on May 5, 2025. Flights will depart Paris at 10:45 a.m., arriving in Phoenix at 12:50 p.m. After a brief turnaround, the flight will depart Phoenix at 3:05 p.m., arriving in Paris the following morning at 10:10 a.m. This service will continue to provide an exceptional flying experience, embodying the best of French elegance.
“Air France is very pleased with the Phoenix-Paris route and we are excited to increase the frequency,” said Boaz Hulsman, Vice President of Commercial, North America at Air France-KLM. “This capacity increase symbolizes our commitment to enhancing the transatlantic travel connection. We look forward to providing more passengers from Phoenix with an experience embodying the best of French elegance.”
Phoenix Sky Harbor continues to serve as a gateway for international travel, with nonstop service to over 140 destinations worldwide. The addition of the expanded Air France service builds upon existing transatlantic connections, including American Airlines and British Airways flights to London Heathrow and Condor Airlines’ nonstop flights to Frankfurt. Furthermore, the increased frequency of Air France’s flights will provide more seamless connections through the airline’s codeshare partners, Delta Air Lines and KLM, to destinations throughout Europe and beyond.
The economic impact of Phoenix’s international flights is significant, contributing over $3 billion annually to the local economy. The three weekly flights on the Paris route are estimated to generate $70 million in annual economic impact. With the increased frequency and larger aircraft starting in May 2025, the route is expected to contribute an estimated $103 million annually to the state’s economy. For more information, visit skyharbor.com.
