The carrier will offer the new services from Paris Charles de Gaulle as part of its winter 2021/22 schedule in another firm indication of travel’s returning confidence.

Sri Lanka will operate from 1 November, three times a week. Flights to Banjul, Gambia’s capital, will launch on the same day, operating four times a week.

The island of Zanzibar will be served twice a week as a continuation of flights to Nairobi from 18 October. Another new destination, Muscat, will operate three times a week from 31 October.

Air France will offer 87 long-haul routes this winter, the majority from Charles de Gaulle, but a few from Paris Orly.

It said: “By March 2022, Air France expects to return to a capacity equivalent to approximately 90% of its capacity in 2019 (compared to 50% in summer 2019), by adding frequencies to key destinations such as New York, Miami or Los Angeles, and by using larger capacity aircraft.”

The carrier is offering fully modifiable and refundable tickets until 31 March 2022. Customers can change their reservation free of charge or request a refundable credit voucher if they no longer wish to travel.