20 Facts about Air France

Air France was founded in 1919 and became the first airline to fly between Paris and New York City. In 1929, they started flying between Europe and South America. They were initially known as Société Nationale de l'Aviation Civile (SNCA). On May 27th, 1933, Air France merged with French International Airways (FIA) and Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes (CdM), forming Air Inter. Other airlines followed suit, leading to the creation of the European Airlines Association (EUROCONTROL), now called IATA. In 1957, Air France took over CFA's stake in Air Inter, making them the only major shareholder left. In 1966, Air France bought out CFA's shares in Air Inter, becoming the sole owner of that company. Since then, Air France has been expanding its routes around the world, especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Today, Air France operates over 300 flights per day to over 150 destinations worldwide.

1. Air France's first scheduled flight took place on June 6, 1927, between Paris and Marseille.

2. Air France has had the same name since 1937.

3. A total of 462 people have died while flying with Air France.

4. On July 11, 1987, Air France Flight 66 crashed near Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 228 passengers and 12 crew members.

5. In 1946, Air France became the first airline to operate jet aircraft.

6. In 1950, Air France inaugurated the world’s longest nonstop flight route – Paris–to New York.

7. The company operates its fleet of Airbus A380 superjumbo jets.

8. There are currently around 1,500 employees working at the airline headquarters.

9. In September 2015, Air France launched a new livery for its planes.

10. Today, Air France operates over 200 flights per day from Paris' Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) to destinations in Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Caribbean.

11. Air France employs over 85,000 people worldwide and has recorded annual revenues of $12 billion.

12. Its fleet consists of Airbus A330-200s, Airbus A340-300s, and Boeing 777-300ERs.

13. The airline's slogan is, "Au ciel nos avions," meaning, "To the sky our planes."

14. Their logo is a stylized eagle holding a trident in its talons.

15. The livery colors are green and white. Green symbolizes hope and optimism, while white represents purity.

16. Air France's main hub is Charles De Gaulle International Airport near Paris.

17. In 1962, Air France became the first major commercial operator to introduce the Boeing 707 into regular service.

18. Air France launched its first route from Paris Orly Airport to New York JFK Airport in 1966.

19. Air France currently operates more than 300 flights a day between Paris and New York JFK Airport.

20. Air France has been involved in several notable incidents including the bombing of Orly airport in 1961 which killed 86 people and the crash of an Air France Concorde on July 25th, 2000 in Toulouse, France which killed 112 people.