South African travellers can now plan tier winter vacations to France after the country’s national carrier confirmed the resumption of direct flights to and from the European nation.
Air France flights available for South African travellers
Air France confirmed in a statement that from Sunday 31 October 2021, direct flights departing and arrival from France will resume at OR Tambo and Cape Town international airports.
In Johannesburg, Air France flights will resume daily, while in Cape Town, flights to the hexagon with take off three times a week.The national carrier stressed that at the top of their list of priorities is ensuring that safety protocols are adhered to in-flight and”doing everything possible to allow you to travel in full compliance with the strictest health regulations.”
“We can’t wait to welcome you back on board one of our flights soon and are committed to ensuring a safe flying experience for all our passengers and crew,” Air France noted.
What you need before you book your flight
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, resumption of international travel has been staggered by strict health and safety protocols. While South African travellers are allowed to visit France, there are a number of strict prerequisites that must be met.
Apart from the regular documentation that’s required, like a valid tourist passport, visa and other important forms, these are the entry requirements for travellers:
Vaccinated travellers
Travel to France comes with no restrictions for vaccinated tourists. Children below the age of 12 do not have to test for COVID-19 or present a vaccination certificate. However, the same can’t be said for teenagers aged 13 and above.
Health-related documents you need include:
- Proof of vaccination:
- It will only be valid if it proves that you are fully vaccinated
- Only vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will be accepted (Pfizer (Comirnaty), Moderna, AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) and AstraZeneca (Covishield))
- Sworn declaration stating that:
- you have no symptoms of COVID-19 infection
- to your knowledge, you have not been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the 14 days prior to your journey
Unvaccinated travellers
The only unvaccinated travellers allowed into France, as things stand, are from countries included on the country’s ‘green’ list. Travellers aged 12 and above must present a negative PCR or antigenic test taken less than 72 hours before the flight and if you have previously contracted COVID-19, instead of a negative test result you may present a certificate of recovery dated more than 11 days and less than six months prior to the date of arrival.
South Africa is on France’s amber list of countries. Unvaccinated tourists from this list are only allowed if there are pressing grounds for travel.
Also, unvaccinated travellers are required to go into mandatory self-isolation for seven days at the visitor’s own cost.