Air France was founded in 1933 through the merger of five French aviation companies.
The new airline combined Air Orient, Compagnie Générale Aéropostale, Société Générale de Transport Aérien, Air Union, and the Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aérienne. The merger created a national airline capable of coordinating France’s domestic and overseas air services.
Air France began operations on 7 October 1933 and adopted a winged seahorse emblem associated with earlier French aviation companies. Before World War II, its routes connected metropolitan France with Europe, North Africa, and colonial territories.
The airline was nationalized after World War II and became a state-owned enterprise. It was later partially privatized and joined the Air France-KLM group in 2004. Air France’s creation should not be confused with the establishment of KLM in 1919 or Lufthansa’s postwar re-creation in 1953.