Air France History: From the 1933 Merger to Concorde and KLM – Airline Employee Shop

Air France History

Air France was born in 1933 from five pioneering French airlines and went on to fly Constellations, Caravelles and Concorde before joining forces with KLM. Here's a short history of Air France, plus the Air France collection that celebrates it.

Five airlines become one (1933–1944)

Air France was formed in August 1933 by merging Aéropostale, CIDNA, Air Union, Air Orient and SGTA, which had begun as Lignes Aériennes Farman in 1919. The new airline was officially launched on October 7, 1933, at Le Bourget. It inherited 259 aircraft, many from the earliest days of air travel, and soon replaced many of them with types such as the Dewoitine 338. Aéropostale, founded in 1918 as Lignes Latécoère, brought a proud airmail history.

Nationalization and the Constellation years (1945–1959)

French air transport companies were nationalized on June 26, 1945, and Compagnie Nationale Air France was created by an act of parliament on June 16, 1948. Lockheed Constellations served the airline from 1947 to 1965. Air France put the de Havilland Comet into service in August 1953. Its base stayed at Le Bourget until the early 1950s and then moved to Orly.

Jets and Concorde (1960–2003)

Steady jet flying began in 1960 with the Sud Aviation Caravelle and the Boeing 707. On January 21, 1976, Air France flew its first supersonic Concorde service, from Paris to Rio de Janeiro by way of Dakar, on the same day as British Airways. In 1990 UTA and Air Inter were brought into Air France. Air France retired its Concordes on May 31, 2003.

Alliances and KLM (2000–today)

On June 22, 2000, Air France joined Delta, Aeromexico and Korean Air to found the SkyTeam alliance. A merger with KLM was announced on September 30, 2003, and took effect on May 5, 2004. Today Air France's head office sits in the Roissypôle complex at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

A few things collectors love

  • The winged seahorse logo came from Air Orient. It still appears on the front of Air France aircraft.
  • Air France's first Concorde route ran from Paris to Dakar and on to Rio de Janeiro.
  • Lockheed Constellations wore Air France colors for nearly two decades, from 1947 to 1965.

Shop Air France

Browse Air France logo T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, tote bags and vintage designs in the Air France collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag for the Air France fan in your life.

AirlineEmployeeShop.com is an independent retailer of airline memorabilia. This page is for historical interest and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Air France.