Starting December 10, Air France will operate five flights a week between the Paris-Charles de Gaulle and San José’s Juan Santamaría International Airport using the most modern aircraft in its fleet, an Airbus 350.
Since France reopened its pandemic-closed borders and commercial flights were reestablished, Air France resumed flights to Costa Rica.
As restrictions eased and demand for passenger and cargo travel between Costa Rica and Europe grew, the company also increased its flights to the three weekly flights it currently operates.
Soon, it will offer five weekly flights between Paris and San Jose from December to May 2023.
William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism, stated that this is “excellent news given the start of the high season and the goal we have set ourselves of recovering pre-pandemic visitation figures before the end of 2023.”
The tourism chief added that the increase in Air France frequencies coincides with the seasonality of the French market, whose peak occurs between January and April.
“The announcement is particularly relevant, given that this airline is preferred by approximately half of the French tourists arriving in our country,” he concluded.
According to the most recent ICT data, between January and September, more than 45,000 French tourists visited the country by air, making France the third largest market of European tourists to Costa Rica.
Air France will operate in San José on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Flight AF431 departs San Jose at 19:55hrs and arrives in Paris at 13:10hrs the following day; meanwhile, Flight AF430 leaves Paris at 13:10 hrs and arrives in San Jose at 17:40hrs the same day.
“We are very pleased to be able to announce two new Air France flights starting 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 Paris to Costa Rica,” mentioned Antoine Cros, Managing Director of Air France and KLM.
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 larger windows, an optimal air pressurization system that provides a more comfortable atmosphere thanks to cabin air that is regularly renewed, and lighting adapted to the different phases of the flight.
“In Business Class, the seat converts into a 2-meter-long bed for restful sleep. In Premium Economy, the new “Recliner” seat is 48 cm wide and reclines up to 124°. In Economy Class, the seat has been redesigned for increased comfort, with a reinforced ergonomic cushion, a 118° recline, and a seat pitch of 79 cm,” the airline explained.
The airline will also provide free Wi-Fi and several packages depending on the passenger’s needs.
“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 eight weekly flights to Europe via Paris or Amsterdam. From there, connections to more than 120 destinations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia,” concluded Cross.
