Air France has inaugurated its new non-stop flight between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Ottawa, making the carrier the only company to operate direct flights between the Canadian capital and Europe.
With the arrival of arrival of flight AF 328 on Tuesday, Ottawa became Air France’s fifth Canadian destination after Montreal (since 1950), Toronto (1976), Vancouver (2015) and Quebec City (2022).
The new service will help support Ottawa’s economic and diplomatic activity, as well as tourism in the region, including that of Gatineau in Quebec, and conversely, connect Ottawa residents to Paris and France’s global network spanning almost 200 destinations across all continents.
Air France will operate five flights a week between Ottawa (YOW) and Paris (CDG), Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Flight times:
• AF327 Ottawa to Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Departure 17h05 Arrival 06h15 next day
• AF328 Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Ottawa. Departure 13h10 Arrival 15h05 same day
The flights will be on 224-seat Airbus A330-200s outfitted with recently refurbished passenger cabins and flight-long wi-fi. Business class passengers and Flying Blue Elite members will enjoy access to the Ottawa International Airport’s Aspire Lounge.
Rounding out the new non-stop service will be Air France’s shuttle bus service between Montreal’s Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau Airport and Ottawa.
Noting that Canada is now the second leading long-haul market for Air France, airline GM for North America Eric Caron commented, “I am delighted to be inaugurating our fifth non-stop route from Canada, and the second from the province of Ontario. This will serve to further strengthen the historical ties between France and Canada, and also help foster new bonds culturally, economically and on the tourism front.”
“This route will connect the world to our globally desirable destination,” added Michael Crockatt, President and CEO of Ottawa Tourism. “The new route links not only French nationals through the hub of Paris, but also a vast scope of travellers from across Europe, Asia, and Africa, who will fall in love with the Ottawa’s beauty, safety, and cleanliness. This is a great day for Ottawa, as Air France will play a significant role in the rebuilding and growth of our region’s international travel markets.”
Destination Canada President and CEO Marsha Walden said the positive impact of the new route will be felt “in Ottawa and across our nation.”
Active in Canada since 1950, this summer, Air France will offer 38% more seats than in summer 2019, including:
• Up to 28 flights between Montreal and Paris-Charles de Gaulle,
• Up to 14 weekly flights between Toronto and Paris-Charles de Gaulle,
• Up to 7 weekly flights between Vancouver and Paris-Charles de Gaulle,
• 3 weekly flights between Quebec City and Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
• 5 weekly flights between Ottawa and Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
Additionally, airline partner KLM flies out of five Canadian cities to Amsterdam-Schiphol: Toronto (up to 13 weekly flights), Calgary (7 weekly flights), Vancouver (7 weekly flights), Montreal (6 weekly flights) and Edmonton (4 weekly flights).