Air France has announced a resumption of flights to South Africa after France lifted its travel ban to the country over the weekend.
France was among several countries that imposed travel bans on South Africa in late November after the latter announced the new Omicron variant, which is reported to be more transmissible.
Air France resumes flights to South Africa
In a statement on Monday (6 December), Air France announced that it had resumed flights to South Africa “subject to the application of a new sanitary protocol.”
“As per the new regulations issued by the French government which became effective on the 4th of December 2021, South Africa has been placed on the ‘Scarlet Red’ country list,” the airline stated.
“As a result of this, new entry and exit regulations have been implemented for travel between South Africa and France.”
New regulations
The French Embassy in South Africa has listed the new regulations on its website here. They apply to passengers with France as a final destination.
“Transfer passengers must check the entry and exit requirements applicable to their journey on Air France’s TravelDoc website and/or contact the relevant authorities of the country of their final destination,” Air France said.
The regulations state that regardless of vaccination status, all travellers from South Africa:
- Are subject to the regime of compelling reasons, the list of which is specified in the travel certificate established by the French Ministry of Interior;
- Must present, upon boarding, a negative result of a PCR test less than 48 hours or an antigen test (TAG) carried out less than 24 hours before the flight;
- Will be subject to a mandatory test on arrival;
- Will have to undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine, controlled by the security forces.
Air France flights schedule to South Africa
Air France has confirmed that flights between Paris and Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa will be resumed and will operate as per the schedule below:
Johannesburg, with effect from 4 December 2021
Departure Day | Flight No. & Route | Departure Time (LT) | Arrival Time (LT) |
---|---|---|---|
Daily except Monday | AF990; CDG-JNB | 23h35 | 11:15 (+1) |
Daily except Tuesday | AF995; JNB-CDG | 19h50 | 05:45 (+1) |
Cape Town, with effect from 6 December 2021
Departure Day | Flight No. & Route | Departure Time (LT) | Arrival Time (LT) |
---|---|---|---|
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday | AF868; CDG-CPT | 10h10 | 22h30 |
Monday, Wednesday, Saturday | AF871; CPT-CDG | 00h40 | 11h15 |
“As part of its commercial policy, Air France currently offers fully modifiable tickets for all bookings up to 30 June 2022,” the airline reminded its customers.
“Customers can change their reservation at no cost, or obtain a refundable credit voucher if they no longer wish to travel.
“If the flight is cancelled by the airline, the customer can choose to postpone their trip, request a full ticket refund or receive a credit voucher, which is also refundable if not used.”