Air France vs Emirates

Overview

Air France (legally Société Air France) is the flag carrier of France. According to Wikipedia, it was founded on 30 August 1933 and is headquartered at Roissypôle, Charles de Gaulle Airport, in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance. Its subsidiaries include Transavia France and Air France Hop. Its IATA code is AF, ICAO code AFR and call sign AIRFRANS.

Network and hubs

The main hub is Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Focus cities are Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse. Wikipedia lists about 184 destinations, covering Europe, Africa, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia, plus France's overseas territories.

Fleet

The Air France–KLM fleet page reports that Air France had 229 aircraft at 31 December 2025, all in operation. These comprised 120 long-haul aircraft, 107 medium-haul aircraft and two freighters. In 2025 the airline took delivery of six Airbus A350-900s and 11 Airbus A220-300s. It also removed 12 A320-family aircraft, four A330s and two A380s. Renewal continues, with the group aiming for up to 80% new-generation aircraft by 2030 (Air France-KLM, October 2026). Figures for the Air France Hop regional fleet and for Transavia are separate.

On board

Baggage guides list Economy, Premium Economy, Business and La Première cabins, though not every aircraft has all four. Seat pitch, entertainment, Wi-Fi and meal details were not confirmed from the sources used here. Check the airline's cabin pages for the specific aircraft type before booking.

Good to know

• Cabin baggage: one bag of up to 55 x 35 x 25 cm plus one small item of up to 40 x 30 x 15 cm. The combined weight limit is 12 kg in Economy and 18 kg in Business, according to MyBaggage.
• Economy Light: this fare includes only the small personal item and no free checked bag, according to eDreams. Standard and Flex fares add a cabin bag.
• Loyalty: the frequent-flyer programme is Flying Blue, shared with KLM.
• Parent group: Air France–KLM, with Air France CEO Anne Rigail.

Allowances and fees vary by fare and route, so confirm them on the airline's website.

Overview

Emirates is one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates, alongside Etihad. It was founded on 15 March 1985 and began flying on 25 October 1985. It is headquartered in Al Garhoud, Dubai, and is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, which is owned by the government of Dubai through the Investment Corporation of Dubai. Emirates is not a member of a major alliance. Its frequent-flyer programme is Emirates Skywards.

Network and hubs

All operations are based at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, which is the only hub. Wikipedia describes Emirates as the world's largest long-haul airline, serving more than 150 cities in about 80 countries across six continents. The infobox lists 148 destinations, so the exact figure varies by date.

Fleet

As of June 2026, Wikipedia lists 266 passenger aircraft and 24 cargo aircraft operated by Emirates SkyCargo. The passenger fleet is all wide-body and includes:

• 116 Airbus A380s (the world's largest operator)
• 127 Boeing 777s (117 777-300ERs and 10 777-200LRs)
• 23 Airbus A350-900s

Per Air Data News, 94 of the A380s were active at the time of that report. President Tim Clark said the active number should reach about 110 by the end of 2026, alongside a US$6 billion cabin retrofit programme.

On board

Emirates offers Economy, Business and, on selected aircraft, First and Premium Economy. Economy seat pitch is 31–32 inches on Airbus aircraft and 34 inches on Boeing aircraft. Premium Economy seats offer up to 40 inches of pitch and a 13.3-inch screen. Business class on the A380 has fully flat beds, and Business passengers can use the on-board bar at the rear. Entertainment is provided by the ICE system. Only some aircraft have Premium Economy so far: 24 A380s had it when the article was written, and a retrofit programme is extending it to older A380s and 777s. Check the aircraft type when booking.

Good to know

• Baggage allowances, change fees and meal details depend on fare and route. Check them on emirates.com before booking.
• Emirates Skywards is the loyalty programme.
• Lounge access depends on cabin and status. This profile does not list lounge details.
• No published on-time performance figure was found for this profile.