Air France was the first European airline to enter the A380 into service, and the first in the world to offer transatlantic flights by A380 between Europe and the United States.
Air France has ordered 12 such aircraft, four of which are now in service between Paris, New York, Montreal, Tokyo and Johannesburg.
The size and performance of the A380 are well suited to the Air France network, and will make it possible for the company to achieve annual savings of between 12 and 15 million euros per aircraft. In today’s economic environment, therefore, this very wide-body jet offers significant leverage to alleviate the effects of the crisis.
The A380 has a capacity equivalent to that of a Boeing 777-200 and an Airbus A340 combined, yet its operating costs are 20% lower.
The new aircraft therefore enables Air France to continue enhancing its service to customers while becoming economically more efficient. In the longer term, the A380 will also be one of the strong assets that will help Air France to return to a position of profitable growth.
