The French market remains relatively solid. How is business travel evolving more precisely?
Nadia Azalé – Business travel behaviour is quite different from leisure travel. We are seeing very strong performance across several business travel segments. In a complex geopolitical context, premium cabins are holding up well. The redeployment of our offer towards certain Asian destinations has also largely contributed to this performance, resulting in unit revenue that remains well valued.
There are nevertheless significant differences between companies. Some large corporations continue to do very well, while smaller ones are adopting a more wait-and-see approach given the international climate.
What are the destinations where corporate demand remains the strongest?
Nadia Azalé – We mainly find the very large destinations. New York and Shanghai are performing particularly well, as is Tokyo. In Europe, business remains stable, with prices holding up well.
Country by country, Tanzania is seeing good growth and is becoming an interesting destination on the French leisure market. Portugal is also performing very well, as is Northern Europe.
We note in particular a strong increase in Scandinavia, in Denmark and in Sweden. In addition to the major northern cities, Air France serves several secondary northern cities with operations that can prove to be highly seasonal, such as Lapland.
Do the United States remain a strong market despite the current context?
Nadia Azalé – Yes. Even though the US market is generally more difficult, we have managed to maintain our passenger volumes. We are now present in 19 destinations in the United States, with both major cities and secondary destinations such as Phoenix. Las Vegas, for example, became our 19th destination in the United States with the launch of the direct service from Paris-Charles de Gaulle in April 2026.
Do business travellers continue to favour premium cabins?
Nadia Azalé – When we look at the results, the premium cabins are doing very well. Even First Class is posting good performance. This is driven in particular by very strong flows between Europe and Asia, as well as between Europe and the US West Coast.
For Air France, this is encouraging because it proves that our upmarket strategy is paying off. We are investing more than a billion euros a year in renewing our fleet and cabins. And we are seeing the return on investment in customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Premium Economy is thus experiencing the same momentum as the Business and La Première cabins?
Nadia Azalé – The Premium cabin is growing strongly, both in terms of passenger numbers and revenue. It is following a trend comparable to that of Business class and is meeting a genuine demand.
That doesn't mean it has cannibalised Business class. It’s an intermediate product that meets a different need, offering more comfort than the Economy seat and a specific experience.
The initial customer feedback is very positive. Satisfaction has increased by 24 points compared to the first-generation fixed-shell seat.
The CDG Express is designed to make access to Paris-Charles de Gaulle easier. Is Air France considering a specific product combining this train and the flight?
Nadia Azalé – At this stage, we do not have a specific plan to announce regarding the CDG Express. Nevertheless, the arrival of the CDG Express will be important for the attractiveness of Charles de Gaulle. It will connect the airport and Paris in about 20 minutes from March 2027, thereby wiping out the travel time difference that exists for CDG when compared to Orly. This restores value to the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle hub.
Air France already works with SNCF. Is intermodality set to develop further?
Nadia Azalé – We work with SNCF and today we have a product that makes it possible to combine train and air travel to several dozen destinations. The network is expanding gradually and we are already at around 27 destinations.
This is a real challenge for us, particularly because it makes it possible to offer an alternative to short-haul flights and it also aligns with our decarbonisation goal.
However, the question of luggage remains a sensitive point in these intermodal journeys.
Nadia Azalé – This is indeed a subject we are working on. The aim is to make the journey as simple as possible. Today, certain disconnects remain and the customer may have to collect their baggage before continuing their journey. We are looking to improve this logistics.
On the other hand, what we already guarantee is the possibility of transferring the customer to the next train or flight in the event of a missed connection. This protection is important to encourage customers to combine train and air travel.
A few words on the new New York JFK lounge?
Nadia Azalé – From next year, we will be transferring all our flights to the new Terminal One at New York JFK. We are going to open a lounge of over 2,700 m² there. It will be the largest Air France international lounge, with more than 400 seats. It will be spread over two levels and will notably offer dining areas, a bar with a selection of French wines and champagnes, as well as areas dedicated to wellness, relaxation and work.
We have also recently opened new lounges, notably at London Heathrow and Frankfurt.
What improvements are planned for Economy?
Nadia Azalé – Certain investments and services apply to all cabins, notably Wi-Fi, onboard content and entertainment options.
We also continue to regularly evolve the cabin service. We observe trends and customer expectations, and we are gradually adapting our offer. The objective is to have a sufficiently broad range to meet the needs of different customer segments, while continuing to improve the onboard experience.
