Air France has announced it will start flying between Paris and Washington DC using an Airbus A380 aircraft, from next June.
The airline currently operates a twice-daily service using a Boeing B777 aircraft, but can reduce this to once-daily using the larger aircraft.
In a statement, Air France said it can “rationalize its frequencies on these busy routes by combining two flights which leave at similar times while offering the same seat capacity at a 20% reduction in operating costs”.
From June 6, flight AF028 will leave Paris Charles de Gaulle at 10.40am, arriving into Washington at 1pm.
Flight AF 039 will leave Washington at 4.25pm, arriving into Paris at 5.45am the next day.
The route will be Air France’s second US destination to be operated using the superjumbo, after it started using the plane on the Paris-New York route a year ago.
Patrick Roux, Air France’s senior vice president Americas, said: “With Washington, three of the five destinations served by Air France’s A380 during summer 2011 will be in North America.
“This effectively illustrates the airline’s investment in the North trans- Atlantic network. The A380, highly appreciated by our customers, will strengthen our assets on one of the world’s most competitive markets.”