Starting later this month, French carrier Air France is reintroducing its summer travel season direct flights between Cape Town and Paris, with bookings already open.
The seasonal service will operate from 22 September 2026 through to 27 March 2027, starting with three weekly flights and expanding frequencies as the season progresses.
Until 31 October, the French carrier will operate flights between Cape Town International Airport and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Flights from Cape Town will depart at 00:15 and land in Paris at 12:15 the same day, and from 1 November to 27 March 2027, flights will increase to every day except Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Between November and March, flights will depart from Cape Town at 08:30 and arrive at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 19:20.
Air France will operate all flights on this route with its flagship long-haul Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport also acts as a major international hub, providing travellers with connections to destinations across Europe and the rest of the world.
“We are incredibly excited to bring our popular seasonal Cape Town–Paris service back for the 2026/27 summer season,” said Wilson Tauro, Country Manager Southern Africa at Air France-KLM.
“Cape Town and Paris are two destinations with an incredibly strong connection, whether through tourism, business, culture or the many South Africans who travel to France each year.”
He explained that increasing the service to five flights a week for most of the season gives travellers the greatest flexibility when travelling to Europe.
“The route is also an important part of our commitment to connecting South Africa with the world through our Paris hub,” he added.
“Whether welcoming global travellers to the Western Cape or travelling to Paris for a city break, continuing onwards to another European destination or connecting further afield, we look forward to welcoming them on board and making their journey part of the experience.”
South Africa expanding its global reach
South Africa is becoming a hub for international flights, with local carriers signing inter-airline codeshare agreements and more airlines adding Cape Town and Johannesburg to their destinations.
At the end of last month, Airlink and Qatar Airways expanded their codeshare agreement to add Doha to the local carrier’s destination list.
Qatar Airways already operates two daily flights between Johannesburg and Doha, two daily flights from Cape Town to its global hub, and another daily flight from Durban.
The new agreement allows Airlink to add its codes to these Qatar Airways flights, which will also expand to include additional destinations over the coming months.
South African Airways and Turkish Airlines partnered to expand regional and international routes to and from Johannesburg and Cape Town after signing a similar agreement with Emirates.
The agreement with Turkish Airlines, which took effect on 15 July, sees Turkish Airlines placing its flight code on SAA-operated services between Johannesburg and Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Windhoek, Harare, Victoria Falls, and Mauritius.
Additionally, South African Airways now adds its flight code to Turkish Airlines-operated services between Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban and Istanbul, Paris, London, and Frankfurt.
In June, Spanish carrier Air Europa launched its inaugural direct service between Madrid and Johannesburg, and Brazil’s LATAM Airlines also commenced three-weekly direct flights between São Paulo and Cape Town.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille welcomed the expansion of flights to and from South Africa’s airports, noting that it is a vote of confidence in our tourism sector and aligns with efforts to improve air access.
“More flights mean more visitors, more trade, more investment, and ultimately, more jobs,” the minister explained.
South Africa’s international air travel has expanded this year, as South Africa’s airports welcomed 4,761,108 international visitors between January and May, representing a considerable 12.8% year-on-year increase.
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