On board the flight, a special 80th anniversary menu proposed by Servair symbolically links Paul Bocuse, one of the first renowned French chefs to sign dishes served on board Air France flights, to a new generation of chefs embodying the future of fine French cuisine. Servair has invited students on the Master?s program in Culinary Management and Innovation at the Institut Paul Bocuse to design a specific menu to commemorate the Company?s 80th anniversary.?
In partnership with Airbus, and in the same way as an Airbus A380 already operating within the fleet, this Airbus A320 will operate daily flights sporting this anniversary livery for a period of one year.?
Moreover, Air France, founding member of the ?Pays de Roissy ? Charles de Gaulle? association* has invited a group of young people to take part in the event. These young people, who are following training courses in hotel and catering management or coppersmithing, will be able to meet ironwork, brassware** and culinary arts professionals.?
?We have a very rich heritage, which we have built up over the years and which is a very strong competitive advantage. This anniversary is also the occasion to mark our long presence in Morocco and show our customers our appreciation?, stated Fr?d?ric Gagey, Chairman and CEO of Air France.
80 years of service to Morocco
On 1st?September 1933, Air France inaugurated the daily service 491 flight which took off from Marseille to Tangiers, Rabat and Casablanca. This last destination rapidly became a key stopover on the South American route (Paris, Casablanca, Dakar, and then Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Mendoza to?Santiago de Chile).
In 1947, Air France opened a modern terminal in Casablanca, a replica of the Invalides terminal in Paris. The following years, the Company considerably developed its routes between France and Morocco.
In January 1956, Air France organized a competition and referendum inviting the public to choose the name of the service by Super Constellation, operating one of the frequencies on the Paris-Casablanca route. After sorting through several thousands of replies, the name selected was “the Star of North Africa”.
On 2 October 1993, Air France and Royal Air Maroc extended their cooperation as part of their efforts to develop relations between Morocco and the European Community and signed a partnership agreement to create even closer links between the two airlines.
On 8 April 1997, the Air France Group and Royal Air Maroc decided to more closely coordinate their schedules, notably improving their network synergies and the progressive implementation of code-shared services.
Air France currently operates 50 weekly flights to Morocco
– To Casablanca
31 weekly flights: 21 on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, 7 from Orly, 2 from Toulouse
-?To Marrakech
5 weekly flights: 3 on departure from Marseille, 2 from Toulouse
– To Rabat
14 weekly flights on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
A joint-venture between AFI/KLM E&M and Royal Air Maroc (RAM)
In 2010, AFI/KLM E&M and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) decided to pool their long experience in aircraft maintenance repair and overall (MRO) and operation of medium-haul aircraft.? A 50/50 joint-venture, Aerotechnic Industries benefits from cutting-edge infrastructures in medium-haul aircraft maintenance.
Ideally situated for Europe, Africa and the Middle East and operating near the main bases of a large number of airlines, ATI provides the opportunity to optimize their A320/737NG maintenance costs as they benefit from the best market standards including EASA Part 145 certification.
The Air France corporate foundation in Morocco
In Morocco, the Air France corporate foundation is involved in projects in favour of children and sick, disabled and underprivileged young people. It supports in particular:
– Bayti association: support for street children in several major cities in Morocco
– CARE?association: fighting poverty, defending fundamental rights, protecting the environment and assistance
– ?”au Coeur de l’Atlas”?association: humanitarian and environmental actions supporting the impoverished populations in Morocco?s Atlas mountains
– “GREF” association (Group of Retired Educators without Frontiers): educational, cultural and social programmes in order to nurture sustainable development.
-?AFOULKI?association: fighting against illiteracy and for the enrolment of girls in rural areas of Morocco, through school renovation programmes.
On the web
– A website dedicated to Air France?s 80th anniversary:?80years.airfrance.com
– On shopping.airfrance.com, a line of 80th anniversary-branded products (Kusmi Tea gift set, Christofle baggage tag, key-ring, golf towels, watch, and more).
* in charge of promoting socio-economic development in the Roissy-CDG area
**?art of manufacturing brass items
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