Air France and Madagascar Airlines have signed an interline agreement that will allow customers to combine flights on a single ticket from October 1.

The agreement covers Air France’s flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Antananarivo-Ivato and Madagascar Airlines flights between Antananarivo and its main domestic destinations such as Nosy Be, Fort Dauphin, Majunga and Tamatave.

Among the benefits of this agreement, connecting passengers will be able to check in baggage to their final destination once.

Offering faster and smoother connections, the two airlines will coordinate their flight schedules at Antananarivo-Ivato. Air France's long-haul flights will be synchronised with Madagascar Airlines' domestic flights, which will reduce the overall journey time.

The two airlines are also looking into the possibility of an agreement enabling Madagascar Airlines to use its code on Air France flights between Antananarivo and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. This would broaden options for Madagascar Airlines passengers with opportunities for connections to destinations beyond the Air France hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

Thierry de Bailleul, CEO of Madagascar Airlines, said the partnership marks a major milestone in the implementation of the Phénix 2030 Plan launched by the company at the beginning of 2024.

“Never before have services to Madagascar's domestic destinations offered such a high quality of connections with long-haul flights. There is no doubt this will be a decisive factor in helping French and European tourists discover the Big Island with its many tourist sites served by Madagascar Airlines – each with its own exceptional natural and cultural treasures. Some are unique and still relatively undiscovered.”

“Madagascar Airlines would like to thank the government for its ongoing support and efforts to develop national tourism and we are proud to be working alongside them to achieve our target of one million tourists by 2028.”

Anne Rigail, CEO of Air France, said: “This commercial cooperation opens up new destinations to our customers and the coordination of our respective flight schedules will considerably enhance their travel experiences. With this agreement, we are maintaining the strong and historic links between our two countries and contributing to the development of cultural and economic relations.”