Air France plans to stop scheduled services between Paris and Brussels from 1 April next year, saying it can no longer compete with Thalys high-speed trains on the route. Instead, the French flag-carrier will offer passengers tickets for travel between Charles de Gaulle airport and Brussels with Thalys, which is owned by France's state rail company SNCF.
Air France carries just 450 passengers a day between the two capitals, while 13,500 travel by train. Thalys offers departures every 30 minutes during peak hours, and every hour at other times. The journey time is 1.30h.
Though Air France has long fought a losing battle on the route, it retained the service to feed long-haul flights. That need has evaporated, with Thalys' Brussels-Paris trains offering a stop at Charles de Gaulle airport following a November 1999 agreement with Air France, which maintained five daily flights.
Under the new agreement, Air France will lease several coaches from Thalys, which will itself provide a fifth daily frequency to Charles de Gaulle. Talks are ongoing, but Air France is confident an agreement will be signed.
Air France has offered Paris-Brussels flights since 1936. Though Belgium's Sabena drop-ped its Brussels-Paris Orly service due to low demand, it will continue to fly from Charles de Gaulle to feed its own long-haul services. Thalys trains do not stop at Brussels Zaventem airport.
Source: Flight International
