Olympic Games has cut summer traffic to Paris

PARIS

Air France-KLM warned on Monday that the Olympic Games would lead to a drop in revenues of up to 180 million euros ($193 million), due to a decline in travel to Paris over the summer.

Some 15 million visitors are predicted to attend the Games, including two million from abroad, according to the Centre for Law and Economy of Sport (CDES), which has been monitoring the Paris Games for the IOC and the Paris 2024 organisers.

But there have been concerns that the Games may keep other travellers from visiting Paris, which is a major tourist destination during the summer.

"International markets show a significant avoidance of Paris," the airline said in a statement.

"Travel between the city and other destinations is also below the usual June-August average as residents in France seem to be postponing their holidays until after the Olympic Games or considering alternative travel plans," it added.

Air France-KLM said it currently estimates the negative impact on its unit revenues for the June until August 2024 period but that it had no plans to scale back capacity.

It said it would provide more details when presenting half year results on July 25th.

"Travel to and from France is expected to normalise after the Olympic Games, with encouraging demand levels projected for the end of August and the month of September," it added.