Air France takes delivery of a new Airbus A220 which it calls “Bergerac”

It's the new kid on Air France, and it's called “Bergerac”, named after the town in Dordogne made famous by Edmond Rostand's play, Cyrano… The 148-seat aircraft is an Airbus A220 (ex-Bombardier CSeries). Assigned to short and medium-haul routes, it made its first commercial flight on December 31 between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Barcelona.

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In 2019, the French company revived this tradition, borrowed from the navy, of naming its planes. From 1937 to 1970, some of his devices bore the names of French provinces, constellations, birds and even castles. By taking delivery of its first A350 six years ago, Air France decided to revive this custom by naming its long-haul “Toulouse.”

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162 aircraft named

Since then, 162 aircraft have seen the names of French cities appear on the front of their fuselage. A way for Air France to “underline its commitment to connecting territories together and promoting France throughout the world.” No type of aircraft is exempt, apart from the A319s which are gradually being withdrawn from service. The A350 Albi, the Boeing 777 Millau, the A320 Tarbes, the A321 Castres and the Boeing 787 Saint-Émilion are part of the long list.

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The year 2024 was thus marked by 22 baptisms of aircraft already in service and refurbished, or new aircraft such as the A220 and the A350. Air France-KLM invests nearly two billion euros per year in the acquisition of the latest generation aircraft, which consume less fuel and therefore pollute less. By 2030, their share will reach 80% of the group's fleet, compared to 5% in 2019.