Innovation is crucial in a future-facing industry, with routine upgrades to fleets and aviation technology being the main way airlines stay competitive in the modern age. This truism definitely isn’t lost in Air France, with the carrier introducing  a brand-spanking-new Airbus A220-300 to its medium-haul fleet back at the end of October. The first of many, Air France expect a fleet of 60 A220-300s to be delivered by 2025. Owing to the aircraft’s fuel efficiency, Air France CEO Anne Rigail celebrated the airline taking “an important step in reducing our carbon footprint on short and medium-haul routes.” This comes just in time for the carrier’s recent completion of their first ever flight from Paris to Rovaniemi Airport in Finland. “The new route will increase travel to Lapland and is a sign of flight connections gradually recovering in Finland and Europe,” stated Petri Vuori, Senior Vice President of Sales and Route Development at Finavia. A welcome addition to Air France’s 95 short and medium-haul routes, then, but that’s not the only upgrade on the cards for the French carrier. The airline has also been working on plans to gradually offer its passengers more flights to American destinations, off the back of the US re-opening its international borders in November. In total, 11 routes to the states will be operated by Air France, including destination airports such as JFK, as well as San Francisco. With all this news coming just in time for the holiday season – which is especially important this year for airlines recovering from pandemic losses – there’s a bright future ahead for Air France.

Oh, and how could I forget, the airline celebrated its 88^th anniversary last month! Issuing a very positive statement, Rigail promised consumers that “We will continue to reinvent our company so that we can have the pleasure of welcoming you to our airports and on board our flights, so that travelling with Air France continues to rhyme with pleasure and discovery.” I don’t know about you, but in times like these, it’s nice to hear a bit of positive news every once in a while.