Happy Thanksgiving everyone! The Breguet 763 Provence (the lower aircraft) entered service with Air France on 10 March 1953 on the Lyon-Algiers route. Twelve aircraft were operated by Air France and had accommodation for 59 passengers on the top deck and 48 on the lower deck, though it was possible to carry up to 135 passengers in high density layout. Air France used the aircraft primarily on Mediterranean routes but it was also used on occasion on domestic services and to London. The introduction of the Caravelle spelled the end for the Provence in Air France service- the Sud-Aviation Caravelle jet and the Vickers Viscount turboprop replaced the Provence in Air France services. Six aircraft were passed on to the Armee de l’Air and six were converted to freighters and were used until the early 1970s- the last one flying on 31 March 1971 from London Heathrow to Paris Orly. The Armee de l’Air would retire its aircraft in 1972. The Lockheed L1049 Super Constellation was more successful in Air France service with 24 aircraft being used starting in 1953, the same year as the inauguration of Breguet 763 Provence services. But the performance of the Super Constellation meant it was used primarily on Air France’s prestigious trans-Atlantic routes- particularly luxurious were the Parisian Special services that had only 32 passengers with private cabins on the Paris-New York route. As the Boeing 707 displaced the Super Constellation on the trans-Atlantic routes, the Super Connies were reconfigured to a 99-passenger high density layout on for intra-European services. #aviation #aircraft #avgeek #airplane #Lockheed #L1049 #SuperConstellation #Breguet #Breguet763 #Provence #airlines #AirFrance #Avgeekery #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AviationMeme https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqgy3uEF42A/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=f4rpk1323efb
