Wrapping up President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to India, the French government announced a six-month pilot scheme—effective immediately on 20 February 2026—allowing Indian passport-holders to transit through French airports without an airport-transit visa (ATV). The exemption covers air-side transfers of up to 24 hours, provided passengers hold confirmed onward bookings and remain within the international zone. The measure responds to long-standing complaints from Indian corporates and travel agents that French ATVs added cost and uncertainty to popular one-stop routings on Air France, KLM and partner carriers via Paris-CDG. According to Amadeus data, Indian bookings involving Paris grew 11 % year-on-year in Q4 2025, despite the extra paperwork. Industry analysts expect the waiver to accelerate that trend, with Paris regaining share from Dubai and Doha hubs for trans-Atlantic and Latin-American itineraries. Beyond the airport, student mobility took centre-stage: both governments reiterated an ambitious target of hosting 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030—triple today’s figure—and welcomed a new Mumbai hub bringing together ESSEC Business School and CentraleSupélec. A forthcoming update to the Mutual Recognition of Academic Qualifications Agreement should make French degrees easier to use for Indian professional licensing. For mobility teams the immediate takeaway is procedural: Indian transferees can now book cheaper connection options via CDG or Lyon without factoring in ATV lead-times, although Schengen short-stay visas are still required for landside exits or overnight hotel stays beyond the sterile zone. Airlines must update DCS systems to prevent erroneous denial-of-boarding incidents. The pilot will be reviewed in August 2026. If conversion rates and compliance remain high, French officials hint the waiver could become permanent—potentially pressuring other EU states like Germany and the Netherlands to follow suit in the competition for Indian passengers and students.
Source: Travel Trade Journal
