People sunbathe under a blue sky in Champs de Mars park in Paris with the Eiffel Tower as background, in this file photo taken on June 13, 2021. Beginning December 8, 2024, direct flights to Paris from Manila will be made available in the Philippines, according to the Department of Transportation. (FILE) Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP
MANILA, Philippines — Direct flights between the Philippines and France will be available starting December 8, said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday.
Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista announced in a Palace briefing that these direct flights represent the first direct connection between the Philippines and Europe since the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was agreed upon following the signing of an agreement to expand the technical cooperation on aviation safety between the Phlippines and France.
“I think this is quite an important one, I think it’s an announcement that will make Filipinos happy because they will be able to fly non-stop from the Philippines to Paris and from Paris to the Philippines,” said Bautista.
According to General Manager of Air France-KLM for Southeast Asia and Oceania Femke Kroese, the flights will begin on December 8, and flights will be available three days a week: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
The flights will also be complimentary with Air France’s existing services with the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which operates four times weekly on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
“So combined, Air France and KLM, we will be offering daily services as per that date. We also offer very convenient night flights, so you will be arriving very early in the city of Paris to have a full day to explore,” said Kroese.
The flight time will take approximately 14 hours.
Christmas gift to Filipinos
Meanwhile, French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel tagged the opening of the direct flights as a “real Christmas present,” as it opens in December and is in line with the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris.
“The direct nonstop service between the Philippines and France will most likely boost trade, tourism, exchanges between our two countries, and more generally, with the European Union,” said Fontanel.
“In terms of tourism, of course, with the connection of the two air hubs of Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and Ninoy Aquino International Airport here in Manila, consolidating the role of France and the Philippines as a gateway to Europe and Southeast Asia in terms of trade at a time when negotiations on a free trade agreement are resuming with the EU,” she added.
These direct flights are also seen to improve direct investments, “removing a psychological barrier to trade and boosting the interest of French and European investors in a particularly dynamic Philippine market.”