As an official partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games which kick off on July 26, 2024, Air France has announced the roll-out of its latest Airbus A350-900, named ‘Paris’ in honor of the French capital city.
Not only does the aircraft carry its new name on either side of the forward fuselage in navy blue, but the plane also features the official logos of both the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the front of its fuselage.
Having been delivered factory-fresh to Paris-Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) from the Airbus final assembly plant in Toulouse on the afternoon of Thursday, July 18, 2024, the airline thrust F-HUVJ straight into action. At the time of writing, the newest addition to the Air France fleet is already en route from Paris to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), operating flight AF188.
Configured with 48 business seats, 32 premium economy seats, and 212 economy seats, the aircraft will be deployed on the company’s network to destinations throughout the world, including New York, Santiago de Chile, Hong Kong, and Antananarivo (Madagascar) among others.
According to ch-aviation, Air France now has 32 Airbus A350-900s in its fleet, with a further four A350Fs on order.
Air France had previously broken off from naming its aircraft, only to reinstate the tradition in 2019, naming all new additions to its fleet after French cities. According to the carrier, this “allows the company to promote France’s regions throughout the world.” F-HUVJ ‘Paris’ joins other aircraft named after cities such as Toulouse (F-HTYA), Lyon (F-HTYB), Carcassonne (F-HUVG), and Nantes (F-HUVG) – all Airbus A350s.
In a statement, the airline explained that, by naming its newest aircraft Paris, it is paying tribute to the French capital, which is both the location of its main operating base and its leading destination in terms of traffic numbers.
The airline is planning to carry 15% of Olympic athletes and 35% of Paralympic athletes to the Games, one in five of the overall total. It will also transport 13% of members of what it calls the “Olympic and Paralympic family” to the Games. Overall, the carrier expects to fly up to 125,000 customers per day during summer 2024.
With a current fleet of 256 aircraft, Air France operates close to 1,000 flights a day from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly (ORY) to nearly 200 destinations worldwide. The airline is also the leading private employer in the Paris region.
Back in 2016, Air France decorated aircraft in the colors of the city in a nod to Paris’ bid to host the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games. At the time, the company’s aircraft sported a logo featuring a stylized Eiffel Tower depicted with the number 24.
Other special Olympic events
In addition to the new aircraft, plus the special advertising campaign launched earlier this year in support of the Games (as covered by AeroTime here), the company is also unveiling an immersive tour of the new ‘Paris’ aircraft at its dedicated exhibition space at the Palais de Tokyo in the city.
Throughout the duration of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, from 27 July to 11 August 2024, Air France will open this space to the public where visitors of all ages will be able to access the site free of charge and wander at their own pace around an area spanning over 850 square meters dedicated to the company.
In the exhibition areas, visitors will be able to ‘visit’ the cockpit of the Paris aircraft via a virtual reality experience. They will also be able to try out the company’s latest business class cabin and admire the iconic red dress with a never-ending train as featured in Air France’s brand video.
