QCOSTARICA – Starting December 10, Air France will operate five weekly flights the Juan Santamaría International (San Jose) airport and the Paris-Charles de Gaulle hub, in the most modern aircraft in its fleet, an Airbus 350.
Flights will depart on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
- Flight AF431: leaves San José at 7:55 p.m. and arrives in Paris at 1:10 p.m. the next day.
- Flight AF430: leaves Paris at 1:10 p.m. and arrives in San José at 5:40 p.m. the same day.
- *Hours in local time. Flight schedule is subject to change.
Since the country reopened its borders closed by the pandemic, restrictions eased and the demand for passenger travel and cargo transportation between Costa Rica and Europe increased, Air France has resumed its flights to Costa Rica and increased its flights to the current three weekly.
Between January and September, more than 45,000 French tourists visited the country by air, consolidating France as the third source market for European tourists to Costa Rica, according to the most recent Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) – Costa Rica’s tourism board – data.
William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism, stated that this is “excellent news for the start of the high season and the goal we have set for ourselves of recovering the visitation figures prior to the pandemic before the end of 2023.”
The tourism chief added that Air France’s increase in frequencies coincides with the seasonality of the French market, whose highest number of arrivals occurs between January and April.
“The announcement is particularly relevant, moreover, given that this airline is preferred by approximately half of the French tourists who arrive in our country,” Rodríguez concluded.
For his part, Antoine Cros, manager of Air France and KLM for Panama, Central America and the Dominican Republic, stated: “We are very happy to be able to announce two new Air France frequencies as of December 10. Thanks to these additional flights, we exceed our pre-pandemic offer and fulfill the dream of offering five direct Air France flights a week from Costa Rica to Paris.
“In addition, we are proud that our customers can enjoy the experience of traveling in an Airbus 350, the most modern and environmentally efficient aircraft in the Air France fleet, available in Costa Rica since June 28 of this year. Starting in December, the Air France KLM group will offer the Costa Rican market 8 weekly flights to Europe via Paris or Amsterdam, and from there, connections to more than 120 destinations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia”.
According to the most recent ICT data, between January and September, more than 45 thousand French tourists visited the country by air, consolidating France as the third source market for European tourists to Costa Rica.
The Airbus A-350: A new definition of comfort
Air France’s Airbus A350 has 324 seats: 34 in Business Class, 24 in Premium Economy and 266 in Economy. On board, customers enjoy a spacious and quiet cabin with:
- 30% larger windows
- an optimal air pressurization system that provides a more comfortable atmosphere thanks to cabin air that is regularly renewed
- lighting adapted to the different phases of flight
- in Business Class, the seat converts into a real 2 meter long bed that guarantees a restful sleep
- in Premium Economy, the new “Recliner” seat is 48 cm wide and reclines up to 124°
- n Economy Class, the seat has been redesigned to increase comfort, with a reinforced ergonomic cushion, a recline of 118° and a distance between seats of 79 cm
- each cabin has large individual high-definition touch screens.
The A350 – offers Wi-Fi for everyone. Air France offers 3 types of passes to connect to the internet directly with a smartphone, tablet or computer.
- The free Pass Message to communicate with your family and friends using your instant messaging applications (ex: WhatsApp, iMessage and WeChat).
- The Surf Pass to surf the internet and check your emails, for an hour or the entire flight.
- The Stream Pass to surf the internet, watch movies or your favorite series at higher speeds.
Air France says the state-of-the-art Airbus A-350 aircraft it uses on the San Jose – Paris run consumes 25% less fuel and generates 40% less noise.
More information and reservations at: www.airfrance.cr
