Célia Geslin, head of product and customer experience at the carrier, which is branded to appeal specifically to millennials, said Joon would enable Air France to “resume the offensive” in Europe’s aviation market.

“We offer low fares, but we also try to offer extra product differentiations,” said Geslin.

In addition, association with the wider Air France business offers advantages, she said. “It helps to be part of the group, with air miles and other options.”

Joon will soon operate its first A350 aircraft, with more coming online, as it ramps up its aggressive growth strategy.

“We will have the first A350 coming in, and next summer we will go from 12 to 18 aircraft. We’re starting small but growing quickly.”

“In 2019 we will have 20 destinations worldwide.”

In September, Joon revealed plans to add six new routes to its summer 2019 schedule from Paris Charles de Gaulle. It is replacing Air France on five of them - Prague (PRG), Stockholm (ARN), Madrid (MAD), Saint-Martin (SXM), and Manchester (MAN) - and adding Quito in Ecuador.

Speaking to Routesonline last month, Andrew O’Brian, the president and chief executive of Corporación Quiport, stressed the importance of Quito’s newest link to Europe.

“The new Joon by Air France service is very important, not just because Paris is a very interesting market for Quito given the tourism potential in both directions, but because the connection with Charles de Gaulle Airport opens wide connectivity options in Europe, Asia and Africa,” he said.

“We believe that with the start of operations of Joon by Air France, the airport’s connectivity network is guaranteed in the short- and medium-term, with four airlines serving the European market and offering significant seat availability.”