Air France expands into Australia

Air France has announced an expansion of its Australia service with Cairns being added to its list of destinations.

As part of a code-share agreement the northern Queensland city of Cairns, which is regarded by many as a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, will from July 31st be served with five weekly flights.

The Air France service, which will fly via Darwin, will be the airline's seventh Australian destination and increase the flight numbers from 34 to 41 weekly services.

Qantas and Flying Blue passengers will also benefit from the additional services as they will be able to earn airmiles for their entire journey.

Air France country manager for Australia, Sacha Maniquant, told eTravelblackboard: "Air France is delighted to expand our relationship with Qantas and presence in Australia under our code-share agreement, with the addition of Cairns, an important gateway for leisure travellers.

"The expansion of our code-share agreement with Qantas gives our passengers greater connectivity from our hub in Paris - Charles de Gaulle Airport and Australia via Singapore with a total of 41 weekly flights to 7 Australian destinations."

The agreement between Air France and Qantas was established in December 2004 and the carriers now offer the most direct flights between Paris and Australia.

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