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Air France 747 Seat Maps

Air France's 747-400s carried 436 seats in 2007 and 432 at retirement, with economy on the upper deck and the final passenger 747 flying in 2016.

By , Boeing 747 EnthusiastReviewed

Air France was the first European airline to order the 747 and put it into service in June 1970, and it operated 68 of the type — every generation except the SP and the -8. Its 1970 cabin was one of the most elaborate ever fitted: three classes divided into colour-coded “salons” (blue, mauve, red, yellow), with a lounge and bar on the three-window upper deck.

From lounge to First

By 1981 the airline had converted the upper deck to revenue seating, replacing 16 economy seats with eight reclining First Class seats at 58-inch pitch, kept non-smoking for quiet. That joined 24 First seats in the main-deck nose at 52-inch pitch: 32 First Class seats in all. It was an early sign of the trade every 747 operator eventually made — the lounge was worth more sold than given away.

The 747-400

Air France flew the 747-400 in a two-class layout and, like a handful of carriers, put economy on the upper deck — 60 seats in a 3-3 arrangement rather than a premium cabin. By 2007 the aircraft carried 436 seats: 40 l’Espace Affaires and 396 economy. In its final years business shrank to 36, giving a 432-seat cabin — the same number as the passengers aboard the airline’s farewell 747 flight in January 2016.

Fleet and fate

Air France was also the launch customer for the 747-400ERF freighter, and its Combis (including two stretched-upper-deck -200s inherited from UTA in 1992) flew cargo-heavy routes for decades. The last Air France 747 freighter retired in 2014 and the last passenger 747 left the fleet in 2016. One aircraft survives: 747-128 F-BPVJ at the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace near Paris.

Cabin archive

Visual seat maps

Cabin zones run from the nose on the left to the tail on the right. Seat symbols show the typical abreast pattern, not every individual row.

Historical reconstruction2007

Air France 747-400 layout, c.2007

A two-class Air France 747-400: 40 l'Espace Affaires business seats and 396 economy seats, with 60 of the economy seats upstairs.

436passenger seats
Upper deckEconomy cabin
Economy60 seats · 3-3 typicalUpper-deck economy with extra legroom
Main deckNose at left
l'Espace Affaires40 seats · 2-2-2 typicalAngle-flat business cabin
Economy336 seats · 3-4-3 typical

Map note: Air France was unusual in putting economy, not premium seating, on the upper deck — 60 seats in a 3-3 layout. Business was 2-2 in the nose and 2-2-2 on the main deck.

Configuration source: AeroLOPA — Air France 747-400, 2007

Archived configuration2010–2016

Air France 747-400 final layout

The cabin Air France retired the 747 with: 36 business seats and 396 in economy, matching the 432 passengers aboard the farewell flight.

432passenger seats
Upper deckEconomy cabin
Economy60 seats · 3-3 typical
Main deckNose at left
l'Espace Affaires36 seats · 2-2-2 typical
Economy336 seats · 3-4-3 typical

Map note: Business shrank from 40 to 36 seats while the 396-seat economy cabin, including 60 upstairs, was unchanged. The final scheduled passenger flight was AF439 from Mexico City in January 2016.

Configuration source: TheFlight.info — Air France 747-400 seat map

Sources

Facts on this page are checked against the primary and institutional references below.

  1. Air France 747-400 seat map, 2007 — AeroLOPA
  2. Air France 747-400 seat map — TheFlight.info
  3. Cabins — Air France corporate history — Air France
  4. Boeing 747-128 F-BPVJ — Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace

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