Breakfast in Paris

One can now leave Manila at night and be in Paris the next day, in time for a warm Parisian breakfast. Perhaps, a slice of bread with butter and jam, some cereal or the occasional croissant? One may also skip breakfast and quickly jump on another plane and head off to another destination in Europe.

Thanks to Air France’s newly launched direct flights between the Pearl of the Orient and the City of Lights, it’s now a quick 15-hour flight from Manila to Paris. The direct route may be best suited for Filipino business travelers who have deals to hatch in France or elsewhere in Europe, whether they’re listed companies looking for investors, local firms looking to expand in the West or even the national government if it decides to go on a roadshow in Europe.

It can also be the other way around – European fund managers or businessmen looking for opportunities in our corner of the world.

Air France’s maiden journey took off on Dec. 7, which marks the resumption of a direct flight between the Philippines and France after 20 long years.

This is enough reason to celebrate and French Ambassador Marie Fontanel did just that on Monday in an intimate yet festive reception at her residence to mark the maiden flight.

Bilateral relations

This is certainly a major step in the strengthening of bilateral relations between France and the Philippines, offering new opportunities for mobility.

Actually it’s not just business that will benefit but other areas as well, including tourism, cultural development and student exchange.

I have no doubt this would boost French and European investment in our dynamic Philippine market.

This initiative also illustrates Air France’s commitment to establishing a long-term presence in the Philippine market, at a time when flights between Europe and the Philippines are set to increase by 4.1 percent a year between now and 2042, the French embassy said.

‘Paris is always a good idea’

Air France will link Manila to its global hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle with three direct flights a week – Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

There’s a lot of optimism about this direct route. Air France officials said more Filipino tourists can now enjoy the City of Lights. After all, as Audrey Hepburn said, “Paris is always a good idea.”

Hopefully, more European travelers can also discover the Philippines.

At the reception, I met Air France network planning manager for Asia Edouard Hanak-Dourlens who said that the flight indeed is especially convenient because it leaves Manila at night and arrives in Paris in the morning, in time for business meetings or quick plane transfers.

Improving NAIA

Developments like this can help both the Philippines maximize opportunities in tourism.

It’s timely that we are in the midst of improving the country’s main gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

At the reception, I bumped into New NAIA Infra Corp. general manager Angelito Alvarez and I congratulated him for the recent improvements I personally experienced.

In the last week of November for instance, as I took a quick personal break to attend the 2024 Jeju Biennale, it took me just less than 15 minutes to go through check-in and immigration. I flew out of Terminal 3.

I shared my observations with airport tycoon Ramon Ang, who proudly said that they have also repaired the explosive detection system and baggage handling systems at T3 after a recent malfunction.

Airport insiders told me that RSA himself goes around NAIA even on Sundays to check areas for improvement and monitor the changes.

Centralized transport hub

Another development at NAIA T3 is a transport network vehicle service (TNVS) hub for easier and more convenient access to ride-hailing services. The hub became fully operational as of Dec. 8, 2024, just in time for the peak Christmas travel season.

This new facility, designed to reduce curbside congestion, improve traffic flow and enhance the passenger experience, is located within T3’s multi-level parking building with multiple entry and exit points to ensure seamless traffic management.

“With a centralized hub and diverse transportation options, we are bringing more order and efficiency to the airport. This is part of our commitment to making travel smoother and stress-free for every passenger,” GM Alvarez said.

This is a brilliant idea for sure and it’s also practiced in other countries.

Abroad, travelers need to walk a bit upon exiting the airport to get to parking lots or to transport hubs so that there aren’t a lot of cars crowding at the arrival or departure bays.

NAIA of course needs many more improvements which all of us Filipino passengers will surely benefit from, especially in the most problematic terminal, which is T3.

For instance, there’s a need for Immigration to replace the e-gates because they are slow and sometimes unreliable. Additional restrooms will also be helpful for passengers because as it is now, there is always a long queue, which means the airport needs more lavatories.

But things are definitely moving at the country’s main gateway. I am looking forward to more positive changes.

As for the Air France direct flight, I offer my congratulations to Amb. Marie and Transportation Sec. Jimmy Bautista for making it happen.

As they say in France, bravo!

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.