Air France flights from Ottawa to Paris will return to the airport of the Canadian capital
Transatlantic flights return to Canada.
Air France is launching direct flights between Ottawa and Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport this summer, according to an official press release from Ottawa International Airport.
The flights, which begin June 27, mark the return to Canada's capital of transatlantic air routes canceled in early 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ottawa Airport CEO Marc Laroche states that Air France has not flown through Ottawa for at least 10 years. According to Laroche, this is a very important development, especially considering that it is "part of the pandemic recovery program.
By comparison, in 2019, an average of 14,000 passengers a day traveled through Ottawa Airport, while in 2020 and 2021 that number dropped to 3,735 and 3,200, respectively. Fortunately, already in 2022, 8,198 passengers used the airport's services daily.
The Ottawa-Paris flight will be available five times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Although, Laroche assures us, Air France may well be interested in increasing the number of flights. "If the market responds accordingly, the airline is willing to increase the number of departures and will remain here for a long time," he said. The flights will be operated by an Airbus A320, which has 224 seats on board.
According to Laroche, Charles de Gaulle airport is an excellent connection point for onward travel in Europe and beyond. "It's a great airport, a gigantic air hub from which it's easy to continue your journey to almost anywhere in the world".
"This is great news for Ottawa's economy," Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe tweeted.
Air France is also resuming flights to Paris from Quebec in May and increasing the number of flights to the French capital from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
