Summary

  • Air France previously operated Boeing 737-200, 737-300, and 737-500 models with diverse seating configurations.
  • Some Boeing 737 aircraft have had accidents, and Air France’s 737-200 encountered a high-speed runway issue.
  • Air France still operates two Boeing 737-800s on a wet-leased basis, flying to various destinations from Paris.

Regarding short-haul aircraft, many airlines worldwide favor aircraft from the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families. This has made the pair hugely successful, with each selling well over 10,000 examples across all variants. Today, Air France favors the Airbus A320 family, but it has also previously operated multiple variants of the Boeing 737. Let’s take a look at where these ended up.

The 737-200

According to historical fleet data made available by ch-aviation, the Boeing 737 family first became a part of Air France’s operations in the early 1980s. Specifically, 1983 saw the first seven of 13 examples of the 737-200 join the French flag carrier’s fleet. The 737-200 was the second of the two models from the ‘737 Original’ range and was longer than the 737-100, entering service in 1968.

Air Franec Boeing 737-200 Taxiing

Air France’s remaining examples of the Boeing 737-200 arrived at the Paris-headquartered French flag carrier and SkyTeam founding member in 1986, 1987, and after a delivery hiatus of over a decade in 1998. These last six aircraft were evenly spread across these three years, with two arriving each. According to Planespotters.net, Air France configured most with 114 seats onboard.

Air France received all of these brand-new aircraft, apart from the 1998 arrivals, whose original customer had been German leisure carrier Hapag-Lloyd Flug. These also had a higher-density 130-seat layout. The 737-200s left Air France in 2000 and 2001, with several joining Air Austral and then Aerolíneas Argentinas. Other destinations for them included Air Comet, Ryan International Airlines, and Sky King.

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Air France Boeing 737-200 Taxiing In Paris

One of Air France’s Boeing 737-200s ended up somewhat prematurely finishing its career at the French flag carrier. According to the Aviation Safety Network, F-GBYA was written off after experiencing a high-speed runway excursion while landing at Biarritz Pays Basque Airport (BIQ) in March 1999. The flight from Paris CDG had 97 people onboard, and, despite the plane’s damage, they all survived.

The 737-300

Air France’s least numerous variant from the Boeing 737 family was the 737-300 model, which came from the second-generation ‘737 Classic’ series. Boeing first delivered this design to USAir in November 1984, producing more than 1,100 of them between then and 1999. Air France flew nine examples between 1991 and 2004, and four aircraft joined the French flag carrier in 1991.

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Air France Boeing 737-300 Taxiing In London

Interestingly, only one of these twinjets was brand-new, with the others having originally been delivered to Aéromaritime International and British Midland. The remaining aircraft arrived in 1992 and 1998, with two and three deliveries, respectively. Planespotters.net shows that these aircraft were fitted with 130 seats in a flexible configuration to accommodate varying business class loads.

When they left, the first departure occurred in 2001, and another pair left the following year, with one more going in 2003. A year later, 2004 saw the final five 737-300s leave Air France within nine months of each other. In terms of where they ended up afterward, a diverse range of carriers took these aircraft on. They included Air China, Conviasa, Garuda Indonesia, and Ukraine International Airlines.

Air France Boeing 737-300 Taxiing In Miami

Interestingly, current fleet data made available by ATDB.aero shows that two of Air France’s former Boeing 737-300 aircraft are still active today! These are as follows:

  • PK-MBA: Formerly F-GRFC, now a World Cargo Airlines freighter on lease from Black Stone Airlines.
  • C5-BDO: Formerly G-GRFB, now flying passengers for Badr Airlines on lease from Fly Mid Africa.

The 737-500

Data from ch-aviation shows that the 737-500, the smallest model in the 737 Classic range, was comfortably Air France’s most numerous 737 variant. 28 examples of this aircraft graced Air France’s fleet, with the first four joining in 1991. Deliveries continued steadily throughout the 1990s, with the last pair arriving in 2001. These aircraft featured a flexible two-class configuration with 112 seats onboard.

The departures began two years after Air France’s last 737-500 arrived. Four aircraft left the fleet in 2003, all of which had initially joined in 1998. Five arrivals from 1993 and 1999 left in 2004, with the same number departing the next year. Six 737-500s left in 2006, with seven bowing out a year later.

Regarding where these planes need up, ch-aviation once again lists a diverse array of carriers globally. These include Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air Namibia, Aviaprad, Czech Airlines, Donavia, FlyLAL, and Yamal Airlines.

Two leased examples today

As an interesting footnote, ch-aviation’s current data shows that Air France operates two Boeing 737-800s on a wet-leased / ACMI basis. These aircraft are from ASL Airlines France and bear F-HIXA and F-HIXB registrations. Each seats 186 economy class passengers in a high-density configuration. Data from Flightradar24 shows that, recently, Air France has flown them from Paris to:

  • Budapest.
  • Lisbon.
  • Lyon.
  • Marrakech.

Did you ever fly on one of Air France’s Boeing 737s? If so, which variant(s), and where did it/they take you? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!


  • Air France Tile

    Air France

    IATA/ICAO Code:
    AF/AFR

    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier

    Hub(s):
    Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport

    Year Founded:
    1933

    Alliance:
    SkyTeam

    Airline Group:
    Air France-KLM

    CEO:
    Anne Rigail

    Country:
    France

    Region:
    Europe

  • 787-8 Dreamliner

    Boeing

    Stock Code:
    BA

    Date Founded:
    1916-07-15

    CEO:
    Dave Calhoun

    Headquarters Location:
    Chicago, USA

    Key Product Lines:
    Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787

    Business Type:
    Planemaker

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