PARIS- Air France (AF) announces the expansion of its Asian network with a new direct route connecting Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Manila (MNL), Philippines.
Starting December 7, 2024, the airline will operate three weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays using an Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
Air France Paris to Manila Flights
The A350-900 configuration offers 34 Business class seats, 24 Premium Economy seats, and 266 Economy seats.
- Flight AF208 departs Paris at 11:20 PM, arriving in Manila at 7:30 PM the next day.
- The return flight, AF209, leaves Manila at 9:50 PM, reaching Paris at 5:50 AM the following day.
This new route complements KLM’s (KL) existing service to Manila, which operates four times weekly from Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS). The coordinated schedules of Air France and KLM provide daily service to Manila, enhancing connectivity between Europe and the Philippines.
Manila, known as the Pearl of the Orient Seas, blends modern architecture with colonial heritage. The city showcases landmarks like Fort Santiago and the San Agustin Church alongside contemporary skyscrapers. Manila’s cultural diversity has fostered a unique culinary tradition.
Beyond the capital, the Philippines offers diverse attractions across its 7,000 islands, including pristine beaches, limestone cliffs, and emerald rice terraces. This new route aims to facilitate tourism and business travel between Europe and the Philippines, potentially boosting economic ties and cultural exchange.
More Flights to Asia
Air France expands its Asian network for the winter 2024-2025 season, adding Manila to its roster of destinations.
The airline will serve Tokyo Haneda (HND) with up to 15 weekly flights, Osaka (KIX) with up to 3, Beijing (BEY) and Shanghai (PVG) with up to 7 each, Hong Kong (HKG) with up to 7, Seoul (ICN) with up to 7, Bangkok (BKK) with up to 13, Singapore (SIN) with up to 10, and Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) with 3 weekly flights.
Manila becomes Air France’s fifth new route for the winter 2024-2025 season.
The airline introduces four other new destinations: Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, with 3 weekly flights starting October 28, 2024; Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, with 3 weekly flights from November 18 as an extension from Zanzibar; Malé, Maldives, with up to 2 weekly flights from December 20; and Kiruna, Sweden, with 1 weekly flight from December 21.
Paris-Manila Market Analysis
Behramjee Ghadially, Senior Manager of Route Network Planning at CAMAIR-CO has shared the data on Paris-Manila Market.
Air France’s new Paris-Manila route enters a market that saw 98,000 passengers in 2023, with an average one-way fare of $750 including fuel surcharges. This route ranked as the third largest European market segment for Manila, trailing London and Amsterdam.
Surprisingly, Barcelona-Manila emerged as the highest-yielding EU-Manila route at $815, followed by Zurich-Manila at $803 and Amsterdam-Manila at $794. Air France’s strategy targets UK and Western European traffic, anticipating strong directional loads and yields in December and January.
The period from February to May will be crucial for monitoring load factors and yields. However, European winter travel patterns to Asia and South Africa suggest potential for maintaining good loads on the Manila route, especially as it offers French travelers a new destination at a cost comparable to Thailand, Vietnam, or Malaysia.
Key markets for Air France to target on the Manila route include
- London (247,000 passengers),
- Amsterdam (101,000),
- Milan (89,000),
- Rome (78,000),
- Madrid (52,000), and
- Frankfurt (50,000).
Additional significant markets include Barcelona, Vienna, Zurich, Brussels, Manchester, Oslo, Athens, Dublin, Copenhagen, Hamburg, and Munich.
Air France’s entry is expected to stimulate the Paris-Manila segment by at least 30%. Strong belly cargo loads in both directions could provide significant incremental revenue.
The new route will likely capture market share from Gulf carriers on EU-Manila routes, though these carriers can potentially offset losses with higher yields from GCC markets.
While the route is projected to generate an operating profit, achieving long-term net profitability remains challenging.
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