South-East Asia has the wind in its sails on the French market. And at the IFTM trade show which is fast approachingThe aisles of the Asia zone could well be buzzing even more than at previous editions, surfing on a wave of good news for both business travellers and MICE players. The latest is the Philippines - a pavilion which unfortunately will not be hoisted at Porte de Versailles - with the announcement by Air France to launch a new Paris-Manila flight. The inauguration is scheduled for 7 December next month. The French carrier will operate three direct flights each week. The departure from Paris-CDG (flight AF208) will be at 23:20 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, arriving in Manila at 19:30 the following day. The return flight (AF209) will leave Manila at 9.50pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. It will return to the CDG hub at 5.50am the following morning. Air France will operate this route with an Airbus A350-900. The aircraft will be configured in three classes, with 34 seats in the Business cabin, 24 in Premium and 266 in Economy.
It's been two decades since France and the Philippines were linked by a direct flight. The flights operated by Air France to Manila - via Bangkok in Boeing 747s - ceased in 2004. Air France's announcement should therefore change the situation, not only to make business travel between the two markets more fluid, but also to give MICE players in the archipelago a powerful new argument.
" The launch of this direct flight between Paris and Manila represents a major opportunity not only to boost tourism and business travel to the Philippines, but also to strengthen economic and cultural ties between France and the Philippines. "Dakila F. Gonzales is delighted. The tourism attaché at the Philippine Department of Tourism continues: " We look forward to working with French tourism professionals to offer travellers unique and immersive experiences that capture the magic of our archipelago. This project marks a new era of collaboration between our two countries. ".
Air France's announcement comes a few days after that of Malaysia Airlineswhich made its return to Paris official at the beginning of September. The Paris CDG-Kuala Lumpur route, inaugurated in 1976 and then interrupted in 2016, will resume service. At the end of March, the Malaysian airline will be offering daily connections between Paris and Kuala Lumpur. Bringing France even closer to Asia.
