Air France Logo PNG
The French airline Air France utilizes a practical logo. The inscription is the name, and the red stripe symbolizes leadership. The Air France logo reflects confidence, comfort, and reliability, as evidenced by the dense arrangement of uppercase letters. The theme of the sky is reflected in the emblem’s color.
Air France: Brand overview
Air France is a French airline subsidiary of the Air France-KLM group. It was founded in 1933 and operates regional and international flights. The airline is based in several cities – Nice, Lyon, and Paris. In addition to the main logo, the brand has an individual flag and trademark, Hippocampe Aline.
Air France started on February 8, 1919, when Société Générale des Transports Aériens (SGTA) was founded. Early on, SGTA was at the forefront, running mail and passenger flights in France and North Africa with Farman planes.
On August 30, 1933, Air France was officially formed by merging four smaller airlines: SGTA, Air Orient, Air Union, and Compagnie Générale Aéropostale. This created a single national airline for France and opened the doors for international flights.
During the 1930s, Air France began flying to major cities such as London, Amsterdam, Madrid, and Rabat. They used new aircraft like the Dewoitine, Caudron, and Farman, allowing longer flights.
World War II was tough for Air France, as operations nearly halted under German control. To keep their planes safe, most were moved to North Africa.
After France was freed in 1945, Air France quickly rebuilt its fleet and resumed its routes. The 1950s brought the Jet Age, and Air France added its first jetliners. This included starting transatlantic flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco in 1958 with the Boeing 707.
The 1960s and 1970s saw even more growth. Air France began using Boeing 747s and Airbus A300s, adding flights to Asia and Latin America.
In 1997, Air France joined the SkyTeam alliance, improving its global reach. The early 2000s were significant, with the acquisition of Air Inter and updates to the fleet, including the Airbus A380, Boeing 777, and Dreamliner.
2004, a big change happened when Air France merged with KLM, forming one of the world’s largest airline groups, Air France-KLM.
Over the past century, Air France has grown from a pioneering airline to a leader with a modern fleet. It is known for being reliable and respected worldwide.
Meaning and History
The emblem features Hippocampus – a mythological creature resembling a winged horse with a fish’s tail. Legend has it to be the fastest animal, which the ancient gods harnessed to their chariots. The Nereids also rode it. Air France chose it as an embodiment of maximum speed for its logo.
What is Air France?
Air France is the world’s oldest national airline, and it has been operating since 1933. It has over 300 planes and flies to 320 cities in 116 countries, serving around 50 million passengers annually. Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports are its main hubs. The company’s headquarters are in Tremblay-en-France. It is one of the world’s oldest airlines and a member of the SkyTeam alliance. It is part of the European holding Air France-KLM; it was France’s main airline before merging with it.
1933 – 1976
The first corporate logo of the French airline looked like a heraldic symbol depicting Hippocampe Aline. In the center of a white circle was a winged horse with a fish’s tail. Wide lines emanating from its wings give the emblem dynamism and a sense of movement. All elements are dark blue, including the border.
1976 – 1990
In 1976, a new era of brand symbols began without the mythical creature. Designers changed it to a slightly tilted and elongated rectangle with several stripes, like a barcode. Below it is the inscription “Air France,” done in bold font. Like the national flag, the color palette is white, red, and blue.
1990 – 1998
In 1990, developers introduced an updated visualization of the logo. All elements remained the same, but their proportions and placement changed. The company name is now above the graphic sign under a thin black stripe. It separates it from the rectangle located in the lower right part.
1998 – 2009
During this period, designers made another version of the logo. They removed the black line and shifted the bottom element, making it wide. This allowed the stripes to be made short, resembling a parallelogram. The geometric figure group is written in large letters under the “Air France” inscription.
2009 – 2016
This version’s font became much clearer: the letters look thinner and more elegant. The rectangle was replaced with a small red ribbon shaped like a flat parallelepiped. In addition, the two words are combined into one. The primary colors are blue and red.
2016 – today
In 2016, the logo’s palette was softened: the “Air France” phrase acquired a pastel shade.
Air France: Interesting Facts
Air France is a famous airline from France that has been around for a long time and is known for flying people all over the world in a fancy way.
- How It Started: Air France was formed in 1933 when a few smaller airlines joined. The oldest part of it started in 1919.
- Big Planes: They were among the first to use the Airbus A380, a huge plane that shows they like new things and making trips comfortable for people.
- Super Fast Flights: They used to fly the Concorde, a super fast plane that could get you from Paris to New York in less than 3.5 hours. But they stopped using it in 2003.
- Flies Everywhere: Air France flies to many places — hundreds of spots in over 90 countries, making it a big deal for flying around the world, especially in France and Europe.
- Teamwork: They helped start SkyTeam in 2000, a group of airlines that makes it easier for travelers to go to many places with different airlines working together.
- Made History: They’ve been part of big moments in flying, like the first flight from Europe to North America after World War II.
- Fancy Flying: Air France gives people a fancy experience with great food, wine, and comfy seats, especially in First and Business classes.
- Joining Forces with KLM: In 2004, Air France and KLM, a Dutch airline, merged. They’re a big group but still fly under their names.
- Loves Art and Culture: They’re into French art and culture, working with artists and designers to make everything from uniforms to what they use to serve food look cool.
Air France is all about bringing new ideas to flying, making it comfy and fancy for travelers, and spreading French style and culture worldwide.
Font and Colors
Since Excellence In Motion is the official font on the French carrier’s website, experts suggest using an enlarged version of the logo. It’s also similar to other fonts used at different times, such as Mr. Eaves Mod Heavy, LCT Picón Extended Extra Bold, Adrianna Extd ExtraBold, and Venn Extended XBold.
The logo’s palette features the classic colors of the country’s flag to which the airline belongs: red, white, and blue. The tricolor emphasizes the airline’s legal affiliation and embodies its historical heritage.
FAQ
What is the horse in the Air France logo?
The Air France logo features a winged seahorse, a unique symbol combining elements from Greek and Vietnamese mythology. The head of the seahorse represents Pegasus, a flying horse from Greek stories that symbolizes wisdom and fame.
The winged seahorse is a powerful logo for Air France, representing its goals of elegance and speed and its efforts to connect different parts of the world. It plays a key role in Air France’s brand, showing its dedication to excellence and embracing a diverse global heritage. The logo supports the airline’s mission to bring the world closer together with its international flights.
What is Air France known for?
Air France, founded in 1933, has played a major role in developing the aviation industry. The airline helped pioneer long-distance flights early on, connecting remote parts of the world and making global travel easier. This expansion started in the 1930s, reaching places like Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Air France is well-known for using the Concorde, a fast supersonic plane that started flying in the 1970s. The Concorde could cross the Atlantic much faster than regular planes. Even though it stopped flying in 2003, it remains a symbol of Air France’s dedication to using advanced technology.
The airline focuses heavily on safety, customer service, and comfort. It updates its planes with the latest technology to improve the travel experience. Today, Air France has one of the most modern fleets in the world.
Air France leads in adding new passenger services, like better in-flight entertainment systems and more comfortable seating. The airline is recognized for its continuous innovation, excellent service, and ability to connect different parts of the world.
What is the motto of Air France?
Air France has changed its slogan over the years to better reflect its brand. The airline used “Making the Sky the best place on earth” for fifteen years before switching to “Air France, France is in the air.” The first slogan highlighted how Air France aimed to make flying a great experience, focusing on comfort, quality, and enjoyment. It suggested flying with Air France could be even more delightful than staying on the ground.
The current slogan, “Air France, France is in the air,” has a double meaning. It points to Air France’s presence in the skies and brings French culture into its services. This slogan reminds travelers that flying with Air France means experiencing French hospitality, cuisine, and style. It shows the airline’s strong connection to French culture and its role in promoting French excellence in food, fashion, and more. This slogan helps position Air France as an airline and a representative of French culture globally.
What are the colors of Air France?
Air France’s primary colors are blue and white, symbolizing the airline’s heritage and identity. Blue represents professionalism, reliability, and trust, which are important qualities that the airline showcases. White adds a sense of cleanliness and simplicity, emphasizing safety and comfort, which are crucial in aviation.
Air France added red to its color scheme. This red energizes the traditional blue and white colors, bringing a dynamic and energetic feel to the brand. Red captures attention and highlights important features, adding vibrancy and excitement to the visual identity.
This new combination of colors keeps Air France’s classic look while giving it a modern, lively twist. The red, blue, and white mix reflects the airline’s aim to stay current and appealing in the competitive airline industry.
What does the Air France airline’s logo represent?
The Air France logo is designed to reflect the airline’s identity and dynamic nature. It prominently displays the airline’s name for brand recognition and includes a unique red ribbon shaped like a curved parallelogram. This form is decorative; it symbolizes movement and speed. The ribbon’s curvature suggests fluid motion, and its forward-leaning shape implies progress and fast service, mirroring the speed and efficiency of air travel.
The color red in the ribbon is meaningful, as red is linked with energy, passion, and action. In the logo, red helps to catch the eye while emphasizing the airline’s energetic and dynamic nature. This is important for conveying Air France’s strengths and active presence in the global aviation market. The logo, with its bold text and vibrant red ribbon, communicates Air France’s commitment to fast and efficient service.
Is Air France a private company?
Air France is a private company, yet it is public because its shares are traded on the stock market. This allows both private investors and the general public to own a part of the airline.
Air France must follow strict regulations and be transparent with its financial information as a public company. This is important because it shows shareholders and potential investors how the company performs. Selling shares helps Air France raise money for business activities, growth, and improvements.
Is Air France part of KLM?
Yes, Air France is part of KLM. In 2004, Air France merged with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines from the Netherlands to form a new company called Air France-KLM SA. This company oversees both the Air France and KLM brands.
The merger brought together two of Europe’s biggest and oldest airlines. Their goal was to strengthen their presence in the global aviation market. They planned to do this by making their operations more efficient, reaching more destinations, and improving their services by sharing resources and working together strategically. Today, Air France-KLM is one of the top airline groups in the world. Air France and KLM still operate under their names but benefit from being part of a larger, more efficient network.
Who owns Air France?
Several key players own Air France. The French government holds the largest share through the State Participation Agency, which shows how important the airline is to the country. China Eastern Airlines owns close to 10% of Air France, which helps European and Asian airlines work better together.
The Dutch government owns a slightly smaller share than China Eastern, linking Air France closely with KLM, another major airline. This helps them operate more efficiently and reach more destinations. Based in the U.S., Delta Air Lines owns about 5.8% of Air France. This ownership strengthens the connection between flights across the Atlantic, making travel smoother for passengers.
