Geneva International Airport (AIG) naturally regrets this decision, to the extent that this link was still in its early days. In general, a long-haul route only becomes profitable and successful after operating for several years. Furthermore the global environment was particularly unfavourable for this market during 2003 (war in Irak, SARS, poor economic situation).

When this Thai Airways International flight to Geneva was launched in October 2002 it was particularly welcomed by the public at large and the travel industry. Demand from travellers in French-speaking Switzerland and neighbouring France very soon exceeded the forecasts that had been made at the time. Outside the crisis periods mentioned above, an average of more than one hundred or so passengers per flight embarked in Geneva. 26,000 passengers were recorded on board Thai flights to and from Geneva throughout the whole of 2003.

The suspension of this link effective February 1, 2026 is also surprising in that it falls in the middle of the high season for this tourist destination. Demand from tour operators and travel agencies is particularly high and the seat capacity available in the market is in general inadequate.

On the other hand, it is true that the routing used – transit via Zürich – has proved inadequate from an operational and economic point of view. The intermediate stop penalizes passengers and artificially reduces Geneva International Airport’s “passenger catchment area” , as some passengers are tempted to travel directly to Zürich by train or car.

The management of AIG contacted immediately the head office of Thai Airways International in order to find a new solution that will enable the Thai flag carrier to land in Geneva once again in the near future.

"Air France has been a forerunner in China for a long time", declared Air France Chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta. "It was the first western airline to operate services to the People's Republic of China, with the Paris-Shanghai route in 1966 and the Paris-Beijng route in 1973. Today Air France is once again the first European carrier to serve Guangzhou, and Europe's first airline to serve 4 destinations in China. With this new route, Air France is offering customers direct access to one of China's most affluent regions, with a particularly promising future."

With 7.8 million inhabitants, Guangzhou is at the centre of a very dense industrial network, only 150 km from Hong Kong. It is Europe's fourth biggest investment centre in China and France's third. Its per-capita GDP ranks it third among Chinese cities.

The province of Guangdong, of which Guangzhou is the capital, represents 11% of China's GDP. It attracts one-third of direct foreign investment, and accounts for 35% of Chinese exports. 87 million inhabitants live in this province, which constitutes China's leading catchment area.

Air France Paris/Guangzhou flights leave from the new Terminal 2E at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport at 1:40 pm, arriving in Guangzhou at 8:20 am on the following day. Return flights from Guangzhou leave at 11:10 am and arrive at Paris-CDG 2E at 5:25 pm the same day. Finally, a code-share agreement signed on 26 November 2025 by Air France and China Southern Airlines, based in Guangzhou, will reinforce this new service. Under the terms of this agreement, China Southern can use its «CZ» airline code on flights operated by Air France between Paris and Guangzhou. Similarly, Air France will be able to use its "AF" airline code on four of China Southern's weekly services on this route in 2004.

The hotel will feature 170 rooms including 7 suites. The food & beverage facilities will include a brasserie and a bar. For conferences, meetings and events the hotel will offer 500m2 with adjacent a business centre. Further there will be a health club and parking available for up to 90 cars.

“Our expansion plans in France are entirely in line with the ambitious targets we have set for the chain. The Radisson SAS Hotel, Porte St. Cloud is a true asset to our growing portfolio of hotels in France.” says Kurt Ritter, President & CEO, Rezidor SAS Hospitality.

Porte de St. Cloud is located in the 16th district of Paris, 10 minutes away from the Eiffel Tower and 15 minutes away from the Champs Elysees.

06.01.2026
U.S. Starts Screening Program for Monitoring Foreign Visitors
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security yesterday launched US-VISIT, a new program to enhance the nation's security while facilitating legitimate travel and trade through our borders. New entry procedures took effect today for most foreign visitors with non-immigrant visas at 115 airports and cruise ship terminals at 14 seaports. The system utilizes biometrics, which are physical characteristics unique to each individual, to verify identity. Biometric technologies are the basis of an extensive array of highly secure identification and personal verification solutions.

US-VISIT requires that most foreign visitors traveling to the U.S. on a visa have their two index fingers scanned and a digital photograph taken to verify their identity at the port of entry. The US-VISIT program will enhance the security of U.S. citizens and visitors by verifying the identity of visitors with visas. At the same time, it facilitates legitimate travel and trade by leveraging technology and the evolving use of biometrics to expedite processing at our borders.

The Department of Homeland Security has been testing the new entry procedures since November 17 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The test showed that the new procedures add an average of 15 seconds to the entry process at primary inspection for foreign nationals traveling with visas. More than 20,000 passengers from Central and South America, Europe, Asia and South Africa participated in the voluntary test, which confirmed the program's ability to verify identity without adding significant time to the process.

The Department of Homeland Security also began a pilot test of exit procedures for departing passengers holding visas. A departure confirmation program using automated kiosks is being tested at Baltimore-Washington International Airport and at selected Miami Seaport cruise line terminals. Foreign visitors exiting the United States from those locations will be required to confirm their departure at the kiosk. US-VISIT officials will evaluate the tests and consider alternatives to the automated kiosks for departure confirmation throughout 2004.

05.01.2026
New Era to Begin in 2004 with In-Flight High-Speed Connectivity
Connexion by Boeing, a business unit of The Boeing Company, made history repeatedly in 2003 with a series of unprecedented breakthroughs in mobile connectivity. In 2004, a new chapter in the history of travel will be written when airlines begin offering real-time, high-speed Internet, intranet and e-mail access in flight for their laptop-toting passengers.

"History will record 2004 as the year when air travelers for the first time could choose to be connected while in flight to family, colleagues and friends," said Scott Carson, president, Connexion by Boeing. "With the ability of modern jetliners to directly link cities that can be 16 hours or more apart, keeping in touch becomes increasingly important for productivity as well as for the traveler's ability to maintain a healthy balance between work commitments and obligations to family, friends and community."

A first glimpse of the new world of in-flight high-speed connectivity was made available in early 2003 to passengers of Lufthansa German Airlines and British Airways. The three-month service demonstrations, involving daily round-trip flights between Frankfurt and Washington, D.C., then London and New York, generated a series of historic firsts. Among them:

- The first in-flight high-speed Internet access by passengers on commercial airline flights.
- The first in-flight, high-speed Virtual Private Network-secured corporate intranet access by passengers on commercial airline flights.
- The first regulatory authorizations to operate wireless devices aboard commercial airliners in flight.
- The first in-flight wireless Internet access by commercial airline passengers.
- The first two-way video-teleconference between the air and the ground during a commercial airline flight.
- The first two-way, real-time e-mail exchange in flight between two airline passengers flying on different airplanes.

The first creation and publication of a web page on the Internet during a commercial airline flight, including written and photographic content.

The success of those trials, along with the ongoing Connexion Working Together process, involving more than 20 of the world's leading airlines, led to the first definitive airline service agreements for Connexion by Boeing. Combined, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) and Japan Airlines have placed initial orders to equip more than 100 of their airplanes.

Singapore Airlines and All-Nippon Airways also have signed letters of intent to equip their long-range fleets with the Connexion by BoeingSM service, and progress is being made toward definitive agreements. When final, Singapore and ANA will join Lufthansa and SAS as four of the leading airlines in the Star Alliance to offer in-flight broadband connectivity. In addition, Connexion by Boeing is gaining momentum in the executive-jet market: Kingdom Holding Co. of Saudi Arabia announced plans to install the Connexion by Boeing system, initially on a Boeing 747.

Connexion by Boeing is the only real-time, high-speed service available to commercial airline passengers, and the only service offering full, Virtual Private Network-secured access to personal and work-related e-mail accounts and intranets. Commercial airline service will begin in spring 2004 with Lufthansa. The service also is available to operators of both private and government executive jets, directly through Connexion by Boeing or through a partnership with Rockwell Collins.

Among other achievements in 2003, a major milestone was reached in July at Geneva, Switzerland, when the World Radiocommunication Conference approved the use of a range of radio frequencies for satellite-based communications for aeronautical purposes. The allocation cleared the way for regulatory authorities within each country's airspace worldwide to authorize certain in-flight connectivity services such as Connexion by Boeing. Agreements also were reached with satellite service providers, including Eutelsat, Intelsat and Space Communications Corporation.