This is a fully illustrated history of Air France, the French national carrier, from the 1930s until the present day, published to mark the 75th anniversary of its formation. Air France is one of the world's great airlines; it is a French institution with its own unique style and part of the fabric of the country, as well as being the national flag carrier. Following the take-over by Air France of KLM in 2004, the combined company is the largest airline in the world in terms of operating revenue and the largest in Europe in terms of passenger mileage. Formed in October 1933, as a result of the merger of a number of smaller French airlines, Air France became state-owned after World War 2, and the French state still has a stake in the newly combined Air France/KLM business. Over the years, Air France has flown a considerable variety of aircraft, including the De Havilland Comet, the Vickers Viscount and the Sud Aviation Caravelle, but, as with British Airways, the airline will always be associated with Concorde and the great age of supersonic transaltantic flying. Book jacket.