Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Air France pledges free flights for those involved in Notre Dame reconstruction

The cathedral is ‘symbol of French history’

Cathy Adams
Wednesday 17 April 2019 10:21 BST
Comments
Remarkable footage shows firefighters battling Notre Dame flames

As tributes to the cathedral pour in from around the world, Air France has pledged free flights to those involved in the reconstruction of Notre Dame.

In a statement, airline group Air France-KLM called the cathedral a “symbol of French history, well known throughout the world”.

Firefighters battled for 14 hours to extinguish the fire at the 850-year-old gothic church, which caused the centuries-old spire to topple, on Monday evening.

“All Air France and Air France-KLM teams around the world have been deeply affected and saddened since hearing the news on Monday evening,” the statement added.

“This is why Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM, with Anne-Marie Couderc, chairman of Air France-KLM, and Anne Rigail, CEO of Air France, have decided that Air France will provide free transport for all official partners involved in the reconstruction of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.”

The airline group also said it would set up a Notre Dame donation fund for its customers, which would be used to help finance the reconstruction.

Some €600m (£519m) has been pledged in the fundraising drive to rebuild the cathedral so far.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in