Air France is steadily expanding its footprint across the African continent, focusing on routes where the carrier has established strong demand.
This summer saw significant service enhancements across multiple African destinations.
The airline continued its Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro route in Tanzania, which launched in winter 2024, with up to three weekly flights.
The Paris to Brazzaville route in Congo received a substantial boost, increasing from seven to 10 weekly flights starting June 16, 2025.
Air France plane (Photo Credit: Air France)
Meanwhile, flights to Nairobi, Kenya now operate with Airbus A350-900 aircraft instead of Boeing 787-9s, providing passengers with increased capacity on this popular East African route.
The airline's partnership strategy also reflects its African ambitions.
In February 2025, SAS expanded its codeshare agreement with Air France-KLM to include Johannesburg and Cape Town, connecting Scandinavian travelers to southern African destinations through the Air France network.
South Africa has emerged as a particularly strong market for the carrier.
Following exceptional demand, Air France recently announced it would extend its seasonal Cape Town to Paris route until May 3, 2026. The route was initially scheduled to end in April 2026 but has seen robust uptake from both South African travelers heading to Europe and international visitors traveling to Cape Town.
Air France Airbus A350 (Photo Credit: Air France)
The daily service operates with Airbus A350 aircraft, with flight AF0871 departing Cape Town at 08h50 and arriving in Paris at 19h20. The return service, AF0890, leaves Paris at 18h30 and lands in Cape Town at 06h45 the following day.
Wilson Tauro, Country Manager for Southern Africa at Air France-KLM, commented on the route's performance.
"Cape Town remains one of the most inspiring destinations in our network and we are thrilled to see such strong demand for our seasonal Paris-Cape Town route," he said. "This extension not only reflects the continued appetite for travel between Cape Town and Europe but also reinforces Air France's commitment to connecting South Africans to the world with style, comfort and efficiency."
The airline's 2025 strategy demonstrates a clear focus on consolidating its position in markets where it has already gained traction, including South Africa, East Africa, Central Africa and Congo. The approach reflects Air France's commitment to strengthening existing routes rather than expanding into entirely new African geographies.
In addition, for travelers from the U.S., many of these African destinations have great connectivity from Air France’s various U.S. gateways including, their newest ones such as Phoenix, Arizona.
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