Air France

Air France was established in 1933 through the merger of several early French aviation companies, including Air Orient, Air Union, Société Générale de Transport Aérien and CIDNA, creating a national flag carrier that quickly became central to European and intercontinental travel. Following the 2004 merger with KLM, the airline became part of the Air France-KLM group, one of the largest airline groups in the world by passenger traffic and revenue. Its primary hub is Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, with a secondary hub at Paris-Orly, from which it operates an extensive domestic network and long-haul services to North America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean. The fleet is a mix of Airbus and Boeing widebodies and narrowbodies, including the Airbus A220, A320 family, A330, A350-900 and the Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner, progressively replacing older types as part of a fleet modernisation programme aimed at reducing fuel burn and emissions. Air France is a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance, launched in 2000 alongside Delta Air Lines, Aeroméxico and Korean Air, giving passengers access to a broad codeshare and lounge network. The airline's loyalty programme, Flying Blue, is shared with KLM and several partner carriers and is among the longest-running frequent flyer schemes in Europe. Premium travellers are served by the La Première first-class cabin on selected long-haul routes, along with a refreshed business class product. While the carrier remains a leader in transatlantic and Africa-bound traffic, it continues to balance cost pressures and strong competition from Gulf carriers and European low-cost rivals on short-haul routes.