Air France has welcomed its 20th Airbus A350-900 to the fleet, named 'Angers' (F-HTYT). The latest delivery is one of the 38 the airline has currently on order. Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, both part of Air France-KLM Group, are in the middle of a fleet simplification, with Air France's long-haul fleet planned to operate 116 aircraft across its Airbus A330s and A350s as well as some Boeing 787s and 777s. The 19th delivery of this type to the airline arrived only last month.

Fleet simplification continues for the airline.

The Airbus A350 was chosen to replace the airline's superjumbo A380s, which were retired at the start of the pandemic.

With the new aircraft offering economic efficiency and improved environmental performance, the type can offer 25% less fuel consumption when compared to previous-generation aircraft. Passengers onboard will also experience the airline's latest in-flight entertainment (IFE) and WiFi for customers to connect. Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM Group, previously commented on the fleet simplification:

''The rationalization and modernization of the Air France-KLM fleet is essential to improve its economic and operational performance'

''The result of Airbus’ European expertise, the A350-900 is a high-performing aircraft at every level, and I am happy that Air France can make it one of the jewels in its fleet, to enhance our group’s competitiveness''

Read the latest Airbus news here.

First flight for Angers

'Angers' will take off on its inaugural flight on November 26th, departing from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), bound for Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) in Peru as AF480. Plane spotters in Paris looking for a shot of the aircraft can expect the flight to depart at 13:10 and arrive in Lima at 19:40 local time, with a flight time usually 12 hours and 30 minutes.

AF 480 CDG LIM flight path
Source: Flightradar24.com 

The next-generation aircraft offers 324 seats onboard, with 34 in business class, 24 for premium economy travelers, and 266 at the back in economy class, all offering exceptional views with 30% larger windows than its predecessor. Anne Rigail, CEO of Air France, is excited about the aircraft offering for its customers:

“The first results observed from Air France’s operation of the Airbus A350 are excellent in every way – customer satisfaction, operational performance, and a reduced environmental footprint. With an investment of over one billion euros per year, our fleet modernization is our main lever for meeting our objective to reduce our CO2 emissions by 50% per passenger/km by 2030.”

Air France, part of Sky Team looks to simplify its fleet with only four longhaul aircraft types
Photo: Getty Images

20 Destinations on the Air France A350 this winter

Travelers can experience Air Frances A350 on 20 routes this Northern Hemisphere winter, on four continents from Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), flying to:

  • Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), USA
  • Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), USA
  • Miami International Airport (MIA), USA
  • Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA), USA
  • Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL), Canada
  • Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez, Mexico City International Airport (MEX), Mexico
  • Juan Santamaría International Airport, San José (SJO), Costa Rica
  • Jorge Chávez International Airport, Lima (LIM), Peru
  • São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, Sao Paulo (GRU), Brazil
  • Ministro Pistarini International Airport, Buenos Aires (EZE), Argentina
  • Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, Santiago de Chile (SCL), Chile
  • Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport, Conakry (CKY), Guinea
  • Modibo Keita International Airport, Bamako (BKO), Mali
  • Maya–Maya Airport, Brazzaville, (BZV), Republic of the Congo
  • N'Djili International Airport, Kinshasa, (FIH), Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Cairo International Airport (CAI), Egypt
  • Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv (TLV), Israel
  • Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY), Lebanon
  • Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi (DEL), India
  • Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore (BLR), India

  • Air France Tile
    Air France
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    AF/AFR
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport
    Year Founded:
    1933
    Alliance:
    SkyTeam
    Airline Group:
    Air France-KLM
    CEO:
    Anne Rigail
    Country:
    France
    Region:
    Europe