Product brand
UnclaimedDefunct French airline subsidiary created by Air France for younger travelers and selected lower-cost routes.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Joon was a short-lived French airline brand established by Air France in 2017 and based at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. It was designed as a distinct operating and customer-facing concept within the Air France group rather than as an entirely independent aviation enterprise. Air France positioned the brand toward younger travelers, and the name was intended to evoke the French word “jeune,” meaning young. Its identity was associated with a more contemporary presentation and with experimentation in how an established network carrier could serve leisure-oriented and price-sensitive markets. The airline began scheduled operations on 1 December 2017. Its initial European network included Barcelona, Berlin, Lisbon, and Porto, placing it on routes where Air France faced competition from low-cost airlines and other value-focused operators. Joon’s operating model was intended to help Air France compete more flexibly in those markets. One important element was the use of cabin crew employed under conditions that were reported as less costly than those of the parent carrier. The concept therefore combined a separate brand, a younger visual and service proposition, and an effort to reduce operating costs while remaining connected to Air France’s broader network. Joon later expanded beyond short- and medium-haul flying. Long-haul services to destinations in the Americas and Africa were added for the summer 2018 season, and the airline also served destinations in the Middle East. In April 2018, plans were reported for a fleet of 28 aircraft by 2020, comprising 18 aircraft for short- and medium-haul routes and 10 for long-haul operations. The proposed long-haul plan included Airbus A350-900 aircraft, although the precise sourcing and transfer arrangements for all planned aircraft were not established in the available material. The published plan represented an ambition to make Joon a significant operating component of Air France’s network rather than merely a small experimental brand. The concept was ultimately short-lived. Following the appointment of Benjamin Smith as chief executive of Air France-KLM, reports emerged in November 2018 that the future of Joon was under review and that its activities might be folded back into Air France. On 10 January 2019, Air France confirmed that it would reabsorb Joon’s aircraft and employees. Joon ceased operations on 27 June 2019, with its aircraft and staff reintegrated into Air France by the end of the process. The decision ended the independent Joon brand after approximately eighteen months of flying. Joon is therefore best understood as an Air France operating experiment: a branded attempt to address younger customers, competitive European routes, and selected long-haul growth opportunities through a lower-cost structure. Its closure did not represent the disappearance of the routes or aircraft from the Air France group; instead, the parent company chose to consolidate the operation under the established Air France identity.
History
Joon was created by Air France in 2017 as a separate airline brand within the Air France-KLM group. The project responded to competitive pressure from low-cost carriers and to the need to develop a proposition that could appeal to younger customers. Air France associated the name with the French word “jeune,” or young, and presented Joon as a more contemporary alternative to the traditional Air France experience. The project also offered the parent company a vehicle for testing a lower-cost operating structure, including cabin-crew employment conditions reported to be less expensive than those at Air France. Joon began flying on 1 December 2017 from its base at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Its first routes were short- and medium-haul services within Europe, including Barcelona, Berlin, Lisbon, and Porto. These routes placed the new airline in markets with substantial competition from low-cost operators. Joon remained commercially and operationally connected to Air France while using its own customer-facing identity and operating model. During 2018, the airline broadened its geographic scope. It added long-haul destinations in the Americas and Africa for the summer season and also operated services to destinations in the Middle East. In April of that year, plans were reported for a fleet of 28 aircraft by 2020: 18 intended for short- and medium-haul flying and 10 for long-haul operations. Airbus A350-900 aircraft were mentioned as part of the long-haul ambition, although the available account does not establish whether the planned fleet would consist of aircraft transferred from Air France, newly ordered aircraft, or a combination of both. The strategy was reconsidered after Benjamin Smith became chief executive of Air France-KLM. In November 2018, reporting indicated that Smith was evaluating whether to dissolve Joon and return its operations to Air France. The question reflected a broader concern about the complexity of maintaining a separate brand and operating structure inside the group. On 10 January 2019, Air France confirmed that Joon’s aircraft and staff would be reabsorbed into Air France. Joon ended its operations on 27 June 2019, and the separate airline was merged back into the parent carrier. The Joon experiment lasted less than two years as an operating airline. Its principal historical significance lies in the way a major network carrier attempted to create a youth-focused, lower-cost subsidiary without leaving the Air France-KLM corporate structure. The brand’s routes, aircraft, and employees were ultimately retained within the group, but under the Air France identity rather than through an independent Joon presence.
- 2019
Air France announces reintegration
[1]Air France confirms that Joon’s aircraft and staff will be returned to Air France by late June.
- 2019
Joon ends operations
[1]Joon ceases operations on 27 June and is merged back into Air France.
- 2018
Long-haul network expansion
[1]The airline adds long-haul destinations in the Americas and Africa and operates services to the Middle East.
- 2018
Fleet plan targets 28 aircraft
[1]Joon announces or reports plans to reach 28 aircraft by 2020, including 18 short- and medium-haul aircraft and 10 long-haul aircraft.
- 2017
Joon is established as an Air France subsidiary
[1]Air France creates Joon as a youth-oriented airline brand and operating subsidiary based at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
- 2017
Scheduled operations commence
[1]Joon starts flying on 1 December with initial European routes to Barcelona, Berlin, Lisbon, and Porto.
Products and positioning
A youth-oriented, contemporary airline subsidiary of Air France intended to compete more flexibly on routes exposed to low-cost carriers and to test a lower-cost operating model within the Air France-KLM group.
Scheduled passenger air transport · 2017
European short- and medium-haul services
Joon’s initial offering consisted of scheduled flights within Europe from its Paris Charles de Gaulle base. The first published destinations included Barcelona, Berlin, Lisbon, and Porto. These services were aimed at markets where Air France faced strong competition from low-cost airlines. Joon used a separate brand and operating model while remaining part of the Air France group.
International passenger air transport · 2018
Long-haul international services
From the summer 2018 season, Joon expanded into long-haul flying, serving selected destinations in the Americas and Africa and operating in the Middle East market. The expansion was intended to develop the brand beyond a European feeder or low-cost experiment. Plans referenced Airbus A350-900 aircraft as part of a prospective long-haul fleet, but Joon’s separate operation ended before the stated 2020 fleet target was reached.
Brand decisions
2019
Reintegrate Joon into Air FranceStrategyBackground
After a review of Joon’s role within the Air France-KLM group, management considered whether maintaining a separate airline brand and operating structure was worthwhile.
Action taken
Air France confirmed that it would reabsorb Joon’s aircraft and employees and return the operation to the Air France structure.
Aftermath
Joon ceased operations on 27 June 2019 and was merged back into Air France. Its separate brand identity and airline status were discontinued.
Recent events
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