Air France unveiled its new services for winter 2005-2006 at the Top Résa show in Deauville at the end of September. Firstly, there has been a significant increase in overall capacity, with a 6.4 % increase in available seat kilometres (ASK) over the previous year. And this year, it is South America in particular that is benefiting from the major redeployment, with a spectacular increase of almost 25 % in available seat kilometres compared to the 2004-2005 winter schedule. This result is due as much to the renewal of the summer innovations - direct service to Caracas and Bogota, increased frequencies to Mexico - as to the real innovations of this winter programme: the addition of three weekly frequencies to/from São Paulo and, above all, the launch of the direct Paris-Santiago flight. This flight, operated three times a week since November 1, has become the longest direct flight on the Air France network (14 hours outbound, 13 hours 20 minutes return).
Not surprisingly, the other buoyant market favoured by the new winter schedule is Asia. China, of course - with ten new weekly frequencies to Shanghai and Beijing - but also Japan - with frequencies increased to twenty weekly flights to Tokyo - and above all India with the inauguration of the Paris-Bangalore route, operated five times a week since 30 October.
Another key market is the Middle East, with confirmation of the second daily flight to Dubai launched this summer and an additional weekly frequency to Amman. Africa's oil-rich destinations are also natural growth markets for the Dedicate product, with an increase in flights to Nouakchott and N'Djamena. Similarly, the A319 Dedicate to Malabo will now fly four times a week instead of two. The announcements are less spectacular for other markets, notably Europe. Business customers will, however, be delighted with the addition of a weekly flight on the Orly-London City route and the introduction of an early morning flight on the Paris-Geneva route.
