For many years, the most prestigious Air France agency faced the Pont Alexandre III in Paris. The Air France agency at Les Invalides was housed in a beautiful structure reminiscent of an orangery, built in 1900.
Air France moved there in 1946. There was an agency, a baggage check-in desk, a shop and above all the famous Air France coaches to Orly and Roissy-CDG. At one time, the company even owned the terminal restaurant. The building also houses the Air France Museum with its research department and archives.
Air France had long planned to leave these premises, its lease expiring in 2022. The symbolic Invalides terminal will soon become part of the airline's legend.
Staggered closures until the end of 2021
The closure of Air France's physical branches is one of the restructuring measures announced for 2019. Physical agencies in city centres - ten in total in mainland France were long in coming. Attendance had fallen considerably with the rise of online sales.
As a result, Air France had planned for their virtual disappearance on 31 March this year. According to the company's communications department, these closures will, however, take place over a longer period of time, until the end of 2021.
The first to close will be the Air France de Lille, from next month. Between now and the end of the year, the carrier is due to bring down the curtain on its branches in BordeauxLyon, Marseille, NantesNice and Toulouse - in addition to the Invalides branch. Two of the three Paris branches (Luxembourg and Porte Maillot) have already closed their doors.
On the other hand, the company is keeping its stopover agencies.. This is an obligation, not least because of all the last-minute services that passengers may need. In DOMThe city branches will also remain operational, as online sales are still less developed there.
