Air France to land in Gambia as of November
Air France is continuing to adapt its network and strengthen its "leisure" destinations. For the 2021 winter season, the carrier will open almost ten new routes, including two in Africa.
From 1 November, Air France will offer a seasonal route to Gambia. The route will be operated during the winter season until March 2022, following the Paris-Bamako-Banjul route.
On this route, the French flag carrier will deploy its Airbus A330-200 (36 seats in Business, 21 in Premium Economy and 167 in Economy) four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Between Paris and Banjul, Air France will be in indirect competition with Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul and Dakar), Vueling (via Barcelona), Royal Air Maroc (via Casablanca), Brussels Airlines (via Brussels and Dakar) and Air Senegal (via Dakar).
This increase in Air France operations via Mali has made Bamako a real hub for the airline, which is currently using it to strengthen its services to Monrovia in Liberia with an Airbus A350-900, Cotonou in Benin with a Boeing 777-200, and Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire with an A330-200.
Note that as part of its winter schedule, Air France also plans to serve Zanzibar (as an extension of Nairobi) from 18 October. The airline will also be extending its summer routes in Africa until March 2022, in particular those to Tangiers (Morocco) and Djerba (Tunisia). "This flight schedule is subject to change depending on travel restrictions," it warns.
Its service to Maputo, announced for 20 June, was finally postponed to an indefinite date.
