HOP! (France) (A5, Paris CDG) parent Air France (AF, Paris CDG) has officially unveiled its plans for its French domestic and regional operator at a ceremony held in Lyon St. Exupéry last week.

As leaked by the French press last year, HOP! will indeed take over the operation of all of Air France's domestic and regional services from its Paris Orly hub including its La Navette flights - Paris Orly to Bordeaux Mérignac, Marseilles, Nice, and Toulouse Blagnac. It will also take over the operation of several local French bases as part of its parent's plans to recapture domestic and regional market-share lost to the likes of Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) and easyJet (London Luton).

"The time has come for the Air France Group to gain market share on the short-haul market. Competition is fierce with trains, and more recently coach travel and the car-pooling trend," Air France chairman and CEO Frédéric Gagey said. "An extensive network in France, a strong commercial presence on this market and a simpler and more reactive organisation will enable HOP! Air France to establish itself as the reference on the French domestic network, Europe’s leading network."

Domestic and regional Air France routes feeding its Paris CDG intercontinental hub will not be affected by the move.

In total, HOP! will operate more than 600 daily frequencies using 96 aircraft spread across its HOP!-Airlinair (Paris Orly), HOP!-Brit Air (Morlaix), and HOP!-Régional (Clermont-Ferrand) affiliates, and will maintain two main hubs at Paris Orly and Lyon airports.