Air France Broadens Global Reach with New Winter Connections

Air France has unveiled its winter timetable for 2025–2026, set to operate from November through March. The airline plans to fly almost 800 times a day to about 170 places in 73 countries. This is a 3% increase in long-haul capacity compared to the last season. According to Air France, this seasonal expansion is part of the company’s broader network strategy to meet increased global travel demand.

The new schedule adds two intercontinental routes and increases service on several existing ones:

• Paris – Phuket (Thailand): up to three weekly flights from 27 November 2025.
• Paris – Punta Cana (Dominican Republic): three weekly flights from 13 January to 28 March 2026.
• Increased frequencies to: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Bangkok (Thailand), Cape Town (South Africa), and Zanzibar (Tanzania).

These adjustments reflect Air France’s focus on high-demand long-haul leisure destinations during the winter travel period.

The Paris–Phuket connection will make it easier for people in Europe and Southeast Asia to connect with each other. It will also give people direct access to Thailand's main tourist area during the busiest time of year. Phuket is still one of the most popular islands in Asia. People go there for its beautiful beaches, island tours, and cultural attractions. The Paris–Punta Cana service will also improve travel between Europe and the Caribbean by giving people a way to get to one of the Dominican Republic's most popular resort areas in the winter.

Additional flights to Cape Town and Zanzibar are expected to support travel to southern and eastern Africa. More flights to Cape Town every day will make it easier to get to South Africa's coastal tourism areas. More flights to Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro will also facilitate access to Tanzania's national parks and the islands of the Indian Ocean. These updates highlight the steady interest in long-haul travel linking Europe with popular African resort destinations.

The airline's winter schedule for 2025–2026 indicates a steady recovery in the aviation industry and a renewed focus on improving global connectivity. Changes in Air France's routes indicate that the industry as a whole is moving towards an increase in long-haul flights and adapting to changes in the structure of travel at different times of the year. The program promotes the diversification of routes between continents, which means that global aviation traffic will grow steadily until the summer of 2026.