French bee (BF/FBU) is a French low-cost airline based at Paris-Orly Airport, specializing in long-haul travel with a fleet of wide-body aircraft. Since launching operations in September 2016, the carrier has built its network around the French capital, offering lower fares on long-distance routes than many full-service competitors.
Operating from Orly rather than the more congested Charles de Gaulle Airport gives French bee several advantages. With less congestion, Orly can support lower operating costs and faster aircraft turnaround times—both essential for the low-cost model—helping the airline keep fares competitive for passengers.
A new airline
On September 10th, 2016, under its former brand name French blue, the airline performed the first commercial flight in its history, covering the route Paris Orly–Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) with flight number BF700. The inaugural flight was conducted by the Airbus A330-343 with registration number F-HPUJ, the airline’s first aircraft, which was delivered brand-new from the factory in June of that year.
A year before adding its first aircraft to its fleet, Groupe Dubreuil, a diversified French family-owned holding company, announced the launch of a project with the working title “Sunshine,” focused on the low-cost long-haul market and based in France. The official announcement was made in March 2016 under the name French blue.
Following the launch of the Paris-Punta Cana service, the airline entered the African market in 2017 with the launch of its second route, Paris Orly-Réunion. The inaugural flight, also operated by the Airbus A330-343 with serial number 1747, still bearing the registration F-HPUJ, took place on June 16th, 2017, landing at Roland Garros Airport from Orly Airport after an 11-hour flight.
The next month, French blue added its second aircraft to its fleet, an Airbus A350-941 with serial number 005, which had been used by Airbus as a testbed. The three-year-old aircraft was introduced by the French low-cost carrier, being the only aircraft remaining from the French blue brand.
French bee
On January 30th, 2018, Groupe Dubreuil announced the rebranding of its low-cost airline, which became French bee, as it is still known today. This rebranding, as reported at the time, was due to avoid a costly and protracted trademark dispute with jetBlue, which initiated legal proceedings when French blue applied for authorization to begin operating flights to the United States.
After this rebranding, French bee confirmed the launch of its first route to the United States, which would be used to continue on to French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France located in the Pacific Ocean, about 15,700 kilometers from Paris. Its first flight took place on May 11th, 2018, with the opening of the Paris Orly–San Francisco–Papeete route, marking a milestone for the airline as it commenced its first and only domestic route.
Despite operating with a stopover in the US, the Paris-Papeete route is legally considered a domestic route, the longest in the world.
As of 2021, the airline began its major international expansion, expanding its presence in the United States with the launch of the Paris Orly-Newark route in July of that year. In 2022, it initiated services between Paris Orly and Los Angeles, as well as Paris Orly and Miami, bringing the total to four routes from the French capital and one to French Polynesia. Canada was its latest international addition, effective April 30th, 2025, with the Paris Orly-Montreal route.
Los Angeles, Montreal, Miami, Newark, Papeete, Saint-Denis, and San Francisco are its routes to and from Paris, with Saint-Denis being its main destination in terms of the number of weekly flights operated and the seats offered, as it uses the largest aircraft in its fleet, the Airbus A350-1000.
Routes
| Route | Flight(s) | Aircraft | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris - Los Angeles | 3 weekly | A359 | BF 730/731 |
| Paris - Miami | 3 weekly | A359 | BF 742/743 |
| Paris - Montreal | 5 weekly | A359 | BF 760/761 |
| Paris - Newark | 2 weekly | A359 | BF 720/721 |
| Paris - Newark | 4 weekly | A35K | BF 720/721 |
| Paris - Saint-Denis | 6 weekly | A35K | BF 700/701 |
| Paris - Saint-Denis | 1 weekly | A35K | BF 702/703 |
| Paris - Saint-Denis | 1 weekly | A35K | BF 704/705 |
| Paris - San Francisco | 3 weekly | A359 | BF 710/711 |
| San Francisco - Papeete | 3 weekly | A359 | BF 710/711 |
| Paris - San Francisco | 2 weekly | A359 | BF 714/715 |
According to our database, these are the flights operated by French bee on each route.
Los Angeles
Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
- BF 730 Paris Orly ORY 14:50 · 17:30 LAX Los Angeles
- BF 731 Los Angeles LAX 19:45 · 15:35+1 ORY Paris Orly
Miami
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
- BF 742 Paris Orly ORY 17:00 · 20:50 MIA Miami
- BF 743 Miami MIA 23:05 · 14:00+1 ORY Paris Orly
Montreal
Daily except Tuesday and Thursday
- BF 760 Paris Orly ORY 19:00 · 21:00 YUL Montreal
- BF 761 Montreal YUL 23:00 · 12:00+1 ORY Paris Orly
Newark
Daily except Tuesday
- BF 720 Paris Orly ORY 18:50 · 21:00 EWR Newark
- BF 721 Newark EWR 23:00 · 12:00+1 ORY Paris Orly
Saint-Denis
Daily except Friday
- BF 700 Paris Orly ORY 19:55 · 09:00+1 RUN Saint-Denis
- BF 701 Saint-Denis RUN 22:10 · 07:30+1 ORY Paris Orly
Flight BF701 is also operated daily except Friday
Friday
- BF 702 Paris Orly ORY 16:30 · 05:35+1 RUN Saint-Denis
- BF 703 Saint-Denis RUN 08:00 · 17:20 ORY Paris Orly
Flight BF703 is operated on Saturday
Friday
- BF 705 Saint-Denis RUN 12:20 · 21:40 ORY Paris Orly
- BF 704 Paris Orly ORY 07:05 · 20:10 RUN Saint-Denis
Flight BF704 is operated on Saturday
San Francisco
Thursday and Saturday
- BF 714 Paris Orly ORY 11:30 · 13:50 SFO San Francisco
- BF 715 San Francisco SFO 16:05 · 11:55+1 ORY Paris Orly
Papeete
Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
- BF 710 Paris Orly ORY 18:30 · 20:50 SFO San Francisco
- BF 710 San Francisco SFO 23:20 · 04:40+1 PPT Papeete
Monday, Thursday, and Saturday
- BF 711 Papeete PPT 07:00 · 18:05 SFO San Francisco
- BF 711 San Francisco SFO 20:30 · 16:20+1 ORY Paris Orly
In December 2021, Groupe Dubreuil Aviation added two new Airbus A350-1000s to its fleet, one for each of its airlines. Air Caraïbes introduced its third Airbus A350-1000, however, the milestone went to French bee, as it welcomed its first state-of-the-art A350-1000.
The aircraft in question, with registration number F-HMIX, departed from Toulouse-Francazal on December 17th, bound for Paris-Orly, and began commercial operations the following day with flight BF700 to Saint-Denis. This was the first of two Airbus A350-1000s to join the French bee fleet, complementing its four other Airbus A350-900s, as its first and only Airbus A330-300 had been withdrawn from the fleet and incorporated into that of its sister airline, Air Caraïbes.
French bee’s second Airbus A350-1041, registered as F-HMIB, was delivered in December of the following year and entered service on December 9th. The airline continues to operate flights to Réunion with A350-1000, and in April 2025 it introduced this aircraft on a second route, Paris-Newark.
The two Airbus A350-1000 aircraft operated by French bee can carry 480 passengers in a two-class configuration, featuring a high-density layout with 40 seats in Premium Class and 440 seats in Economy Class. Each aircraft offers the comfort and amenities of Airbus’ Airspace cabin, including in-flight entertainment (IFE) and full Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the plane.
Fleet
At the time of publication, French bee has six aircraft in its fleet, all Airbus A350s, a composition it intends to maintain. The fleet’s average age is seven years, with the oldest Airbus A350 being 12 years old and the newest just over four years old.
| Aircraft | Registration | Config | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A350-941 | F-HREU | W35Y376 | 12 years |
| Airbus A350-941 | F-HREV | W35Y376 | 8 years |
| Airbus A350-941 | F-HREY | W35Y376 | 7 years |
| Airbus A350-941 | F-HREN | W35Y376 | 6 years |
| Airbus A350-1041 | F-HMIX | W40Y440 | 5 years |
| Airbus A350-1041 | F-HMIB | W40Y440 | 4 years |
French bee has an 84% rating on my.flightradar24.com, a number based on reviews from passengers who have flown with the airline. In accordance with passenger feedback, boarding/deplaning stands out with a 97% rating, followed by the flight crew’s excellent service at 91%. In-flight entertainment, in-flight services, and Wi-Fi round out the five categories, with ratings of 89%, 83%, and 80%, respectively.
Cover photo: © Hugo Charrua franco – JetPhotos (Paris Orly, France)
The post French bee is carving out its niche in long-haul leisure travel appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.