Air France Cancels 10-Hour US Route After Only 5 Years: See Affected Flights Now

Published Sep 25, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT James lives and breathes route development. Educated in Air Transport Management at Loughborough University and Cranfield University, James has a PhD in Airline Strategy and Economics. James was Market Opportunity Analyst at London Luton Airport and Chief Analyst at anna.aero. He taught airline strategy and economics to undergraduate and postgraduate students for five years and has worked closely with multiple carriers on route and market intelligence projects. He is based near London, UK. Some things in aviation are predictable. This includes Air France reacting to United Airlines' recent announcement that it'd begin flying from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) next year. The French flag carrier will now pull off the long route, leaving it to United. Significantly, Air France will now be the third European airline to drop DEN flights recently, after Edelweiss (last operated in 2025) and Aer Lingus (the final service is this week). Air France Is Ending Its Denver Flights OAG data shows that the SkyTeam member debuted in Colorado amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Until then, the only other scheduled service between France and Colorado was provided by Norwegian, which flew between CDG and DEN from 2018 to 2019. Entering so-called ready-made markets after another operator pulls out is a common way to grow a network, and Air France saw an enticing opportunity. When flights originally began in July 2021, they only operated during the summer, with this seasonal approach existing until 2024. In that year, Air France returned to DEN in March and operated through the winter on a year-round basis. During the summer, four weekly departures usually existed. Flights operated continually from March 2024 until October 2025, when the carrier elected to return to a seasonal operation. When service resumed in May 2026, three weekly flights were usually available. To help partly offset fewer departures, the aircraft switched from the 279-seat Boeing 787-9 to the 328-seat 777-200ER (shown above). The 777 has considerably more economy seats, which suggests that yields were not great from less premium travel. Days CDG To DEN; Local Times* DEN To CDG; Local Times** Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays AF58: 1:25 PM-3:40 PM (10 hours and 15 minutes; 777-200ER) AF59: 5:40 PM-11:10 AM+1 (9 hours and 30 minutes; 777-200ER) * First week of October 2026 ** First week of October 2026 With fewer flights, lower overall capacity, a shorter operating period, along with more economy-heavy equipment, Air France was returning to what appeared to work previously. It was far from being a ringing endorsement for the route, but at least it was taking corrective action rather than cutting it entirely. Flights would have returned in May 2027. But United's announcement (and that airline's higher frequency and the considerable increase in CDG capacity) means that Air France has shelved that idea. The airline's website shows that all planned flights to DEN next year have been removed. It seems that the final departure will now be on October 10. Loading map… Drag to explore Air France To Denver Credit: Nate Hovee | Shutterstock In the 12 months to June 2026, the US Department of Transportation shows that Air France carried 38,542 passengers between CDG and DEN. It was the carrier's second-smallest US market after CDG to Las Vegas, but that's only because that route is new (flights began in April 2026). In this period, Air France's DEN operation had a load factor of 83.2%, against the airline's average US result of 85.7%. As always, this says little in itself. It is just one performance measure and should not be considered seriously without other information. The network contribution of the route would also have to be considered. Air France seemed to struggle at DEN. Otherwise, the route would not have returned to a seasonal operation, the frequency would not have been reduced, and less premium equipment would not have been redeployed. But with corrective action, the SkyTeam carrier probably saw sufficient potential to maintain the link, at least until the new entrant revealed its plans. United Begins Denver-Paris Flights In May 2027 The Star Alliance member will lift off from DEN, which is its second-largest hub for capacity, to CDG on May 27, 2027. It'll fly daily using the 787-9, with a year-round operation. It'll have more flights and operate for longer than Air France, although it remains to be seen how United does in the winter. United's offering will be substantially more competitive than Air France's, especially for those only flying between DEN and CDG. Booking data shows that nearly 98,000 people did so in the 12 months to June 2026. But most connected en route, rather than flying on Air France's nonstop flights. The proportion of passengers flying nonstop will grow strongly with United's offering. While Air France mainly focused on passengers connecting in CDG to reach DEN, United's attention will be mainly on the local market and passengers traveling to/from the Western US via DEN. Of course, passengers wishing to fly the carrier to other European destinations may connect in Frankfurt and Munich in partnership with Lufthansa, or at United's multiple other US hubs.