Air France to launch direct Paris- Kilimanjaro flights in November
Air France Airbus A350-900 plane. PHOTO | REUTERS
What you need to know:
- The route marks a significant enhancement in Air France's African operations, replacing the Paris-Zanzibar-Dar es Salaam route.
Dar es Salaam. Air France will start flying between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Kilimanjaro International Airport (Kia) in Tanzania in November, in a boost to its connectivity in Africa.
Scheduled to start on November 18, the addition to its destinations is part of the airline's strategy to expand its long-haul network across the continent and improve service delivery to travelers in the region, according to a statement made available to The Citizen in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Air France, the statement says, will deploy its Airbus A350-900 aircraft to operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays departing from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, with return flights from Kilimanjaro on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays
The route marks a significant enhancement in Air France's African operations, replacing the Paris-Zanzibar-Dar es Salaam route.
Travellers to Dar es Salaam can still travel to Paris via Amsterdam in the Netherlands through Air France's partner airline KLM.
KLM flies between Dar es Salaam and Amsterdam seven times in a week.
It also flies between Amsterdam and KIA five times a week and Zanzibar twice a week, further expanding travel options in Tanzania.
"The addition of the Paris-Kilimanjaro route is a strategic decision aimed at meeting the growing demand for travel to East Africa," said the Air France - KLM's Tanzania Country Manager, Mr Rajat Kumar.
Kilimanjaro serves as a gateway to the region's renowned natural beauty and adventure opportunities.
The new route will facilitate access to Tanzania's famed Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa and a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Flight AF874 will depart Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 10:10 am on designated days, arriving in Zanzibar at 9:10 pm local time, with onward flights to Kilimanjaro departing at 10:40 pm and arriving at 11:40 pm on the same day.
Meanwhile, Air France continues to connect East Africa to Paris-Charles de Gaulle through direct flights to Nairobi, Kenya seven times a week as with the new route, all Air France flights are serviced by modern aircraft, which have substantially reduced emissions.
