Air France: 70 years of presence in Canada!

For its 70th anniversary in Canada, we had the pleasure of being invited to the virtual event of Air France.

It was an opportunity for the company to bring together all its customers, its sales network, its partners, its suppliers and all its employees to share the highlights of 70 years of history between Canada and Air France.

At the end of the Second World War, in 1945, France wanted to strengthen diplomatic and economic relations with Canada, after appointing its first ambassador to Ottawa.

Air France’s presence in Canada dates back to October 2, 1950, when the Lockheed Constellation 749 touched down at Dorval airport after stopovers in Shannon and Gander. On October 5, the first cycle was completed with the first flight from Montreal to Paris.

Discover these 70 years in video:

To celebrate its 70-year alliance with Canada, Air France marked the arrival of AF 342 on October 2, 2020, with Montreal’s French delegation.

A Boeing 747 touched down on May 20, 1976, to inaugurate the first Paris-Toronto flight, a route which also included Los Angeles as a beyond for the first two years.

Direct flights to the Queen City were introduced in 1994.

Air France has continued to develop ever more efficient technologies for its teams and its customers. The service offer has never ceased to evolve and renew itself, and even more so with the current situation as we live. The airline’s ambition is to build on sustainable development in the future.

In 2019, we chose Toronto as the destination of the inaugural flight of our new long-haul aircraft, the Airbus A350. A high performing aircraft that meets our ambitions in terms of sustainable development, a major challenge in which the air industry and Air France have a decisive role to play.

Anne Rigail, CEO Air France

In the past, nothing was more important than a boarding pass. Now, nothing easier in the digital age.

These days, the customer is in control of his journey, arriving at the airport having booked and paid his ticket and even having checked himself in. When he arrives at the airport, there is no need to go to a counter. We warmly greet and assist clients using tablets with many options for all types of customer assistance, whether at the self-serve check-in, bag drop kiosks or at the gate.

Christina Wendland, Station Manager, Air France KLM - Toronto

An interesting reminder also concerning the safety and constant improvement of the skills in this area with the maintenance of next-generation airliners:

Our top focus is ensuring safety and that planes are airworthy. We are entrusted with handing our crews an aircraft in perfect flying condition, while meeting the industry’s highest requirements.

Thierry Moncada

AF Canada’s teams have participated in a common message about the unity and entrepreneurship that sustains them:

To Paris, Air France expects to maintain 10 flights per week in November and up to 17 in December from Canada. Boeing B787s and Airbus A350s will operate these flights:

KLM will resume flying out of Edmonton effective October 29 with ‘circular’ flights twice* a week. Outbound: Edmonton – Amsterdam direct. Inbound: Amsterdam – Calgary – Edmonton for a total 17 KLM weekly flights, to which will be added 2 all-cargo flights to Toronto.