Well we shall see............
Air France resumes Doha-Paris flights
Doha: Air France resumed flights on Thursday between Doha and Paris, becoming the only European airline to fly to and from Doha non-stop after almost a decade the carrier stopped serving the route.
“The carrier was in a bad shape in the early 90s and we decided to discontinue our flights to a number of destinations, including Doha, as it could no more afford to operate them, Jean Claude Cros, Air France senior vice-president, told The Peninsula at a ceremony held at Doha International Airport to mark the Air France inaugural flight.
He said the carrier was returning to Qatar, a route it had served continuously for almost twenty years because of the country’s excellent perspectives in terms of oil and gas business, the current economic boom, as well as the important future development projects in tourism and cultural activities in the country.
Michel Hidalgo, former coach of the French national team and Henri Biancheri, general manger of the famous French club AS Monaco, gave the kick off of the two non-stop weekly flights.
Also present on the occasion were Sheikh Hamad Bin Suheim Al Thani, Minister of State, Alain Azouaou, French Ambassador to Qatar, Bernard Bazot, Air France General Manager Middle East, and Saeed Al Hajri, General Manager of Ali Bin Ali, the general sales agent of Air France.
Cros also said that the airline had now recovered and was innovating by launching Dedicate, a new service featuring scheduled routes and direct flights to some of the emerging oil and gas markets, easing travel for professionals to the key areas of economic activity.
He said Air France in the Middle East would be offering this month two Dedicate destinations, including Doha and Kuwait, where a whole array of French and international companies operate due to large-scale infrastructure requirements.
“The launch of this flight is not just aimed at serving Doha and Paris routes, but to connect the flight beyond Paris with other destinations all over the world”, he said.
Besides, Air France and KLM are joining forces to become the largest airline group in the world in terms of revenue, and customers will benefit from more flights and departure times as well as extended facilities and perks.
The flights from Doha to Paris, scheduled on Thursdays and Sundays, from Paris to Doha on Wednesdays and Saturdays, will be operated using 82-seat Airbus A319 offering l’Espace Affaires (business) and Tempo (economy) cabins.
