This winter, Air France is launching a regular flight to Panama City, with three weekly frequencies on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and is therefore extending its network to Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Flights are operated by Boeing 777-200 equipped with 309 seats, including 35 in Business, 24 in Pre-mium Economy and 250 in Economy.
The new route is in addition to the daily KLM service from Amsterdam -Schiphol and enables Air France and KLM customers to benefit from an even wider choice of connections at the Copa Airlines hub at Panama City-Tocumen airport, especially to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
The launch of the Paris-Charles de Gaulle – Panama City route, set up with the support and cooperation of the Government of Panama, confirms Air France-KLM?s position as a European leader in this region.
Today, economic growth in Panama is driven by large-scale projects such as the construction of the subway in Panama City in 2014, the extension of the Panama Canal in 2015, as well as the development of tourism in the region. In addition, more than 80 multinational companies have their headquarters based in Panama for their activities in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Flight schedules (in local time)
Starting 25 November 2013, flights to and from Panama City will operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
– AF 474:?leaves Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 13:30; arrives in Panama City at 18:30 the same day?
– AF 475:?leaves Panama City at 22:00, arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 14:10 the following day
Air France-KLM, a leading group in the region?
A leader in Central and South America and the Caribbean in terms of the number of seats offered, Air France-KLM will serve 25 destinations in this region for the 2013-2014 winter season and will offer over 200 weekly flights departing from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol.
Fr?d?ric Gagey, Chairman and CEO of Air France, said: “Air France is continuing to expand in areas of high economic development. This expansion, within the framework of our Transform 2015 plan, aims to create real growth engines for the entire company. Today, with the launch of a new route to Panama City, we have confirmed our position as leader in Central and South America and the Caribbean.” He added: “We are strengthening our presence in the region and are offering our customers numerous connecting opportunities via the Copa Airlines hub at Panama City-Tocumen airport.”
?Connectivity is key to developing a tourist destination. And Panama is a fast-growing hub for accessing other markets in Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. Moreover, it is, itself, an attractive venue with a remarkably rich and diverse menu of attractions for a country of its size. These include Caribbean and Pacific Coast beaches, national parks covering 35 percent of its territory, seven separate regions that are home to various indigenous peoples and the Darien — second largest rainforest in the Hemisphere after the Amazon — all of which, and much more, make Panama a unique destination for leisure travelers. In addition, with Panama City emerging as an ever more prominent commercial and financial center and a massive expansion of the Panama Canal nearing completion, business travel is also on the rise. It is our great pleasure to welcome Air France to Panama — in absolute certainty that we are now witnessing the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship that will be of great mutual benefit to both? said Salomon Shamah, Minister of Tourism of Panama.?
A new corporate website available in Spanish
On the occasion of Air France’s inaugural flight to Panama City, the airline will be launching its Spanish-language corporate website. Intended for journalists and air-travel enthusiasts, this website will present all of Air France’s products and services and will be a key platform for disseminating the airline’s news. Air France will thus provide Spanish-speaking populations in Spain and Latin America with exclusive customised information so they may discover its services and actions in these regions of the world.?
Visit?corporate.airfrance.com/es
* Destinations served by Air France-KLM in Central and South America and the Caribbean: Aruba, Bo-gota, Bonaire, Buenos Aires, Cancun, Caracas, Cayenne, Cura?ao, Fort de France, Guayaquil, Havana, Lima, Mexico, Montevideo, Panama, Paramaribo, Pointe ? Pitre, Port au Prince, Punta Cana, Quito, Santo Domingo, Saint Martin, Santiago de Chile, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro.
For more details or to make a booking go to?www.airfrance.com, call 36 54 (0.34? incl. tax per min from a landline), go to an Air France ticket office or your local travel agent.