Nonstop Romance As Air France Resumes Service From Denver To Paris
By Anna Maria Basquez
DENVER (CBS4) – Denver International Airport is resuming its romance with the City of Love.
Denver to Paris nonstop flights by Air France began Wednesday again after taking a hiatus since last fall, according to DIA officials. One flight will take off on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The first flight came in from Paris during the 3 p.m. hour Wednesday at DIA.
"We're super excited about this," said Stephanie Figueroa, public information officer with DIA. "I'm going to take it myself in a few weeks. France is an important market in terms of visitors and tourism for the state of Colorado. Especially Air France which connects to many other destinations across Europe. It means more places to be able to travel to and from Denver."
On Wednesday, May 4th, a ticket for flight one-week out showed a booking price of $564. The estimated nine-hour flight initiated at DIA in July 2021, and was seasonal.
"It might be permanent, it might be seasonal," Figueroa said.
"We expect passenger traffic to reach historic highs this summer thanks in part to carriers like Air France who continue to invest in the Denver market, allowing us to expand our global connections and connect our passengers and community to Europe and beyond," said DEN CEO Phil Washington, in a statement.
Flights are scheduled to operate on Boeing 777-200 aircraft.
"Air France is ready to welcome customers looking to travel and connect them to our global network of 196 destinations, as well as connect Europeans eager to experience the natural beauty, vibrant culture, and growing economy of Denver and its surrounding areas." said Eric Caron, Senior Vice President and General Manager, North America for Air France-KLM.
France ranks as the third-largest overseas market in terms of visitation. In 2019, French visitors accounted for seven percent of total overseas visitors to Colorado, just behind the United Kingdom and Australia, officials at DIA said in a statement.
Colorado Tourism Office Director Tim Wolfe said, "Colorado's wide-open spaces, breathtaking hiking opportunities, historic railroads and our rich Wild West history are especially popular among French visitors."
Air France was the first and remains the only carrier in the SkyTeam Alliance to operate nonstop transatlantic service to Denver. Through the Air France network in Paris, passengers can access dozens of destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.