Air France and KLM: New flights and destinations for winter 2025/2026!

Air France and KLM: New flights and destinations for winter 2025/2026!

A fresh wind is blowing over Phuket! From November 27, 2025, Air France and KLM will be adding two new flights to this popular holiday island in Thailand to their 2025/2026 winter flight schedule. Air France flies to Phuket three times a week, meeting increasing demand for long-distance travel. More and more travelers are attaching importance to attractive flight connections to exotic destinations, and Phuket is one of the most sought-after destinations, especially in winter.

This realignment is no coincidence. According to the latest aviation statistics, global air travel will have recovered economically from the impact of the pandemic by 2025. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects passenger numbers in 2025 to be 21 percent higher than in 2018. This is a strong sign for the industry, which suffered a dramatic decline of over 60 percent in 2020. In Germany, on the other hand, the return to pre-pandemic levels will only occur after 2030, which shows that air traffic is recovering more quickly in other countries than here.

Aviation news

In addition to flights to Phuket, Air France will also launch direct flights to Punta Cana in January 2026, which should delight travelers. This means that the airlines are not only expanding their route network further afield, but are also increasing their frequencies to popular destinations such as Orlando, Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town. KLM plans to increase its total capacity by six percent, particularly to India and the Caribbean, and is adding new services to San Diego and Kittilä as well as a combined route from Barbados to Georgetown.

For travelers who want to stay closer to Europe, both airlines offer an expanded range of short and medium-haul flights between Paris, Amsterdam and popular European cities such as London, Milan and Vienna. There are also up to six daily flights to Düsseldorf and Munich, so travelers can benefit from a wide selection.

A look into the future

Another interesting aspect is the discussion about sustainability in aviation. Air traffic causes around three percent of global CO2 emissions, and over 90 percent of airlines have committed to becoming climate neutral by 2050. A key measure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the use of sustainable fuels that do not require adjustments to aircraft or infrastructure. However, “green kerosene” is currently more than twice as expensive and is only available to a limited extent. From 2025, the EU is planning mandatory blending quotas for sustainable fuels, which gives hope that air traffic will become more environmentally friendly.

Overall, it can be said that developments in aviation promise exciting times for travelers. With new goals and a clear focus on sustainability, we have interesting travel alternatives ahead of us. So if you're thinking about escaping winter in Europe, you should include Phuket and Punta Cana in your travel plans!

For more information, see Aerotelegraph, amglobal.org and Statista.