Summer Olympic Travels: Air France Takes Lion Share

As an official partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Air France has unveiled the first passenger figures expected for the world's biggest sporting event.

45 days ahead of the Olympic Games opening ceremony, based on reservations made at this stage, the company expects to carry 20% of all athletes and para-athletes travelling to Paris and France, i.e., 1 in 5 athletes, mainly from Brazil, the United States, Italy and Japan.

In terms of the different categories of athlete, the company plans to carry 15% of Olympic athletes and 35% of Paralympic athletes. 13% of the “Olympic family”, comprising mainly members of the National Olympic Committees and the International Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games will also travel on Air France.

Over the summer of 2024, Air France expects to carry up to 125,000 customers per day, equivalent to the volumes during summer 2019. Athletes, delegations and supporters will be arriving en masse over 24, 25 and 26 July, and departing on 11, 12 and 13 August, with a peak in traffic expected on 12 August.

Traffic peaks are also expected during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Supporters for these two competitions flying with Air France will be arriving mainly from the United States, UK, Italy, Germany and Japan.

All the aircraft in the fleet will be in operation, with an unprecedented number of “reserve” aircraft. . 7 long-haul aircraft and 8 medium-haul aircraft will be assigned to this reserve fleet, ready to be used in the event of an aircraft being unavailable.

While traffic levels will remain stable throughout the summer, the proportion of “local” traffic, i.e., customers whose final destination is Paris, will be higher during the Games period. This number will exceed 60% during peak periods, whereas under normal circumstances, traffic is divided equally between local customers and connecting customers continuing their journey to another destination.

In terms of human resources, Air France has made over 2,000 recruitments in 2023, including 500 pilots and 400 mechanics on permanent contracts. In order to return to 2019 activity levels, pilot and mechanic hiring will continue in 2024. In anticipation of the summer peak and the Paris 2024 Games, Air France has also bolstered its teams with over 1,000 additional recruitments on seasonal contracts (800 cabin crew and 250 ground staff).

A dedicated check-in facility for athletes and delegations within the Olympic and Paralympic Village

Athletes and delegations will be able to check in their bags directly at the Olympic and Paralympic Village the day before departure, and will use a dedicated route to and at the airport.

Open over the three days before and after the closing ceremonies on 11th August (Olympic Games) and 8th September (Paralympic Games), this off-airport check-in process (OAP) will be handled by a team of up to 125 Air France airport agents. They will be in charge of checking in the baggage of delegations travelling on Air France as well as other airlines, including Air France’s Skyteam partner airlines.

Up to 10 times more oversize baggage on peak travel days

With Olympic athletes travelling with an average of 4 items of baggage, including 1 oversize item[1], the company has reinforced its operational processes and set up dedicated support centres to anticipate and coordinate operations, connected with all the players in the logistics chain.

Air France expects to carry up to 10 times more oversize baggage and sports equipment (kayaks, athletics poles, competition bikes, etc.) on peak travel days.

Para-athletes travelling in wheelchairs will be travelling with an average of two wheelchairs, including a competition wheelchair. Taking care of disabled customers and their equipment, travelling for the Paris 2024 Games or other reasons, is a priority for Air France.

Additional staff have been integrated into the SAPHIR[2] assistance teams and Air France is working with its partners to ensure that its customers will be able to leave and collect their wheelchair at the aircraft door.

75 ambassadors dedicated to organising the Paris 2024 Games

Air France has been preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games for over a year. 75 dedicated ambassadors from 35 company entities (ground operations, flight crews, flight scheduling, human resources, communications, etc.) have been mobilized to coordinate the actions carried out by operational and administrative staff in all sectors of the company.

Air France regularly carries sports teams on board its flights and had the occasion to demonstrate the efficiency of its organizational processes during the World Para Athletics and the Rugby World Cup, held in France in 2023.

Between now and the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on 26th July, several full-scale test days are planned in coordination with the ADP Group, to oversee the roll-out of the remote check-in system at the Olympic and Paralympic Village.

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are also an opportunity for Air France to showcase the best of France to international visitors. From July 27 to August 11, 2024, the airline will open a dedicated space open to all at the Palais de Tokyo, before moving to SPOT24 for the duration of the Paralympic Games, from August 28 to September 8, 2024.