Air France will resume nonstop flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) on October 19, 2026, ending a months-long seasonal suspension that began over the European summer.

NAIA announced the resumption on September 29, 2026. The service will operate three times per week with an Airbus A350-900, linking NAIA Terminal 3 with the French capital ahead of the peak holiday travel season.

The route's return restores the only direct air link between the Philippines and France. It also adds another nonstop option for travelers heading between Manila and Europe, a market that has been rebuilding gradually since the pandemic collapsed long-haul international traffic.

The suspension itself was short-lived. Air France announced in December 2025 that it would pause the route over the European summer — a decision that drew attention because it came just over a year after the airline had returned to the Philippine market. Before the pause, Air France operated the route three times per week, with an average flight time of approximately 14 hours.

A return two decades in the making

Air France first announced its comeback to Manila in September 2024, unveiling plans for a three-times-weekly service between Paris and Manila. At the time, it marked the carrier's first direct flight to the Philippines in 20 years.

The route also carried broader significance for the market: it was the first direct air link between Europe and the Philippines to resume after COVID-19 severely disrupted international travel.

Air France had ended its Paris–Manila service in 2004 following its merger with KLM. The combined group did not abandon the market entirely. It maintained a Philippine presence through a codeshare agreement, with KLM continuing to operate flights to Manila while Air France's own metal stayed away for two decades.

Fleet and configuration

Air France operates the route with an Airbus A350-900 configured with 34 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats and 266 economy seats — a total of 324 seats deployed on each of the three weekly rotations.

For Manila, the restored service strengthens NAIA Terminal 3's long-haul network. For Air France, it keeps a foothold in a Southeast Asian market the group had served only indirectly for 20 years before 2024.

The October 19 resumption will test whether the route can sustain itself beyond a single winter season, after the summer suspension showed that demand on the pairing remains uneven across the year.