Lyon airport expands capacity

By Thierry Dubois

September 1, 2008
Airports

France’s second-city airport is growing at a fast pace, building on Air France’s “euro-regional” hub. At Lyon Saint Exupéry, the new management team has reshuffled expansion plans, having postponed the addition of another pair of runways.

The airport handled a record 7.32 million passengers last year, up 8.4 percent. That trend has continued, with the airport logging 7 percent growth so far this year. “We are aiming at 10 million passengers in 2012,” said CEO Philippe Bernand. He acknowledged this could prove challenging, as fuel prices remain a concern.

The main source of growth is in international flying, with most passengers flying to other European countries. Air France’s hub accounts for roughly half of the passenger traffic. An official of the flag carrier recently stated that Lyon is still “strategic” for its regional traffic, which includes operations by subsidiaries Régional and Britair. Airport executives see this as their cornerstone. However, they admit Air France traffic is being “diluted.”

Low-cost carriers, which currently account for 6 percent of traffic at the airport, are growing fast. They are expected to account for 25 to 30 percent of the traffic within five years. The number one non-French major airline at the airport is Lufthansa.

To accommodate the increasing number of aircraft movements (last year the number increased by 1.9 percent), the airline originally considered building two more runways–bringing the total to four–and accompanying terminals. Bernand and his team have put that plan on the back burner and now want to increase existing capacity, by expanding the terminal and petitioning for more aircraft movements per hour. The airport is currently allowed a total of 53 takeoffs and landings per hour.
“We are working with ATM organization Eurocontrol to increase this,” Bernand said.
As a result, the airport operator will build new taxiways. To reduce noise and CO2 emissions, continuous descent approaches could be allowed at night.

Traffic is expected to reach 15 million passengers in 2020. To accommodate more than that, the airport needs two more runways. The two additional runways might not be constructed before that year.

One peculiarity at Lyon’s airport is its high-speed train station. A five-minute walk from the main two terminals, the station is supposed to bring passengers from cities such as Avignon, Valence and Mâcon. It does, but not to the extent the airport’s management team would like. Separately, a new rail link with Lyon’s city center in 2010 should improve airport access, which is regularly subject to road congestion.   

Back

TEB noise program begins to quiet critics January 01, 2009 In honor of the second anniversary of the launch of the Teterboro Airport Working Group’s “Pledge to the Community” program–which has as its... [more]
Movements limit is years away for London Stansted January 01, 2009 Swift lobbying work by the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) and its members appears to have averted the threat of a new... [more]
Meigs Field Butcher Arrested in Blagojevich Scandal December 23, 2008 One of the chief architects of the 2003 demolition of Chicago’s Meigs Field has been arrested on federal bribery, corruption and fraud charges... [more]
Bizav Operators Need To Make Inauguration Plans Now December 16, 2008 NBAA is urging operators planning to be in the Washington, D.C. metro area during President-elect Obama’s inauguration next month to subscribe... [more]
Avjet Celebrating Opening of Greenest Ever Hangar December 03, 2008 The first private aircraft hangar certified to the platinum level by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building... [more]