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Air Austral, the flag carrier of Reunion, once considered acquiring all-economy Airbus A380s to transport passengers between Paris and Reunion. Founded in December 1974 as Air Reunion, the airline operates flights from Reunion to various destinations including Metropolitan France, South Africa, and Thailand. The airline's fleet consists of eight aircraft and employs around 900 staff.
The idea for an all-economy Airbus A380 emerged in November 2009 when Air Austral announced plans for an 840-seat configuration intended for its Paris-Reunion route. "We are convinced that airplanes with good-priced tickets will help explode traffic figures," said Gérard Ethève, founder and president of Air Austral at the time. However, financial challenges led to the cancellation of this order by 2012.
Despite canceling the A380 order, Air Austral collaborated with HiFly for charter flights between Metropolitan France and Reunion. Today, Air Austral offers direct flights from Reunion to several destinations including Antananarivo, Johannesburg, Mahé, Mauritius, Moroni, Nosy Be, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, and Toamasina.
