Air France will become the 15th airline at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) when it launches direct flights to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in October. The airline will connect the "Research Triangle" to the "City of Light" when it takes over Paris service as part of its partnership with Delta Air Lines, which currently flies the route.
“Triangle-area travelers embraced RDU’s nonstop service to Paris when it launched in 2016 and have made it one of their favorite international destinations,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “We welcome the arrival of Air France and the opportunities it provides to connect more travelers from our region with Paris and destinations in Europe, India and beyond.”
The Paris service is timed to provide ideal connections from CDG to Air France’s network of nearly 200 destinations and 89 countries. Service is scheduled to begin on October 30 and fly every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on a 279-seat Boeing 787. The 787 is a larger aircraft that has not previously flown from RDU and has more seats than the plane currently flying the Paris route.
“The route will be Air France’s 14th gateway this winter in the United States, providing even more connectivity and ease of access between the transatlantic market. Whether the final destination is Paris or going beyond through Air France’s wide global network, we look forward to welcoming travelers on board soon,” said Eric Caron, general manager for North America, Air France-KLM.
International travel helped drive the recovery of passenger traffic at RDU. The airport now serves a record seven international destinations, including Cancun, Freeport, London, Montreal, Reykjavik and Toronto.
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