By Brian Campued
Air France has resumed its direct Paris-Manila flights on Sunday after two decades, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced.
The inaugural flight departed the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 at 9:50 p.m. on Sunday and arrived at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport at 5:50 a.m. the following day.
Air France will operate three weekly flights every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday—leaving from NAIA at 9:50 p.m. and arriving in Paris at 5:50 a.m. the next day.
The return flights will depart Paris at 11:20 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and arrive in Manila at 7:30 p.m. the next day.
During the cake and ribbon-cutting ceremony, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista noted that France was the Philippines’ 14th top source of tourists in 2023, with over 61,000 French nationals visiting the country.
“We’re confident that those numbers will significantly increase after tonight,” Bautista said.
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco welcomed the resumption of direct flights between Paris and Manila as a “historic milestone in Philippine tourism.”
“This opens an exciting new chapter for European connectivity to and from the Philippines,” Frasco said, adding that direct flights will boost tourism, trade, and cultural exchanges for the two countries.
Also present at the inauguration were French Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Marie Fontanel and Air France-KLM General Manager Femke Kroese.
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