Paris Airports Have Undergone Major Overhauls Ahead of the Olympics

The organizers of the Paris Olympics have predicted a surge of 16 million visitors for the Games, which will run from July 26 to August 11. U.K.-based VistaJet, a membership and charter operator, reports “strong demand into the region for the Olympics.” Minerva Travel, also in the U.K., has seen a 55 percent jump in private-jet bookings to Paris for late July and August while “hotels and luxury accommodations are nearing full capacity, and restaurants are reporting a substantial increase in reservations,” a spokesperson for the company told Robb Report.

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Those numbers pale next to the activity at Victor, a global private air charter company whose bookings to Paris during that timeframe are up 200 percent over last year, while trips to France overall are up 300 percent.

On the commercial side, everyone from Delta to Qantas to RyanAir has increased capacity into Paris, either by employing larger jets on existing routes, increasing the frequency of those trips or adding new routes. Delta is the official airline of Team USA, and will be responsible for flying 1,000 athletes into and out of the Paris region. Of course, expect the NBA players on the U.S. basketball team and superstars such as Simone Biles to travel by private jet.

This summer, everyone wants to go to Paris—except all the people who don’t. Air France announced earlier this year that it was expecting $193 million revenue hole because of lower-than-usual tourist travel to Paris during the Games. While the airports will be seeing surges in Olympic visitors, many other tourists are avoiding the city because of high prices and flight cancellations. In the private-jet world, FlexJet, the Ohio-based jet leasing and fractional ownership company, reports seeing only a “slight increase” of trips to the French capital.

“This result is really down to a ‘love it or hate it’ mindset,” says Ben Bewsey, FlexJet’s European managing director. “On the one hand, we’re seeing a significant number of international Flexjet owners flying into Paris for the Olympics, but we also have others actively choosing to escape the crowds and avoid the area.” Both sides may have a point.

The French have prepared well for the huge surge in air traffic. In the last year, both private and commercial airports have retooled. “It is in our airports that the Games will begin and end for many: everyone will make their first and last memories there,” Augustin de Romanet, chairman and CEO of Groupe Aéroports de Paris (ADP) said. “This is a magnificent challenge for the entire airport community and for our territories, and a unique opportunity to demonstrate our know-how and commitment to hospitality.”

The list of upgrades includes improvements in terminals, streamlined customs and immigration as well as added parking spaces and fueling outlets. Perhaps the most important changes involve baggage handling. ADP has said it will handle 115,000 pieces of luggage during the Games, which isn’t overwhelming considering the amount of annual traffic through one of Europe’s most popular destinations. But approximately 17,000 pieces of athletes’ luggage will be irregular, including everything from epees to kayaks, which is a challenge.

Business-aviation airports are also expecting strong traffic. Le Bourget, the major stopping point in Paris for corporate jets, is already warning private-jet firms that there will be no hangar or parking slots during the week. Authorities are recommending private jets use other corporate airports in the region, located farther out from the Games.

Logistics will also be a challenge. The opening ceremony, in particular, will feature a six-kilometer parade down the Seine through the heart of Paris. For security considerations, France will impose a six-hour, no-flight zone around the event that will extend in a 93-mile radius around Paris, a swath of 27,000 square miles that is slightly larger than Ireland.

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Military aircraft with high-powered radar will patrol the sky and fighter jets will be on call to scramble at a moment’s notice. The measure will create an obstruction to such a large area in such a popular central European flight zone that several commercial operators have had to cancel hundreds of flights and private firms had to retool flight times. “It takes a lot to work around that,” says Tom Hill, director of commercial jets at Victor. “It has had a big impact on scheduling.”

Hill also reports a loss of the sort of flexibility private jet travel is known for. As part of the security considerations, operators must lock in itineraries and passenger lists earlier than normal, and there’s uncommon difficulty getting takeoff and landing slots as well as parking. All of which makes it hard for operators to offer the level of service they usually do.

On the other hand, private jets are considered the most efficient way to get around the country for different sporting events. Basketball and handball will take place in Lille, and soccer matches will spread among multiple cities , including Bordeaux, Nantes, Nice, Lyon, and Marseille (which will also host sailing). Tourists are often hitting multiple spots and even mixing in other destinations.

Minerva says it has multiple clients flying in and out of Paris and the other cities for single events. VistaJet has been offering customized travel experiences for members and clients who want to extend their stay or hit more than one destination.

FlexJet has arranged a variety of multi-stop itineraries. “Many of these are families with Olympic event tickets who have built a wider European travel itinerary around their attendance,” Bewsey says. “Some are flying in and out of Paris for multiple events. One owner has tickets for some of the earlier diving and basketball events before flying south for a few days to the French Riviera, then to Florence and Tuscany, returning to Paris again for the later stages of the athletics and the closing ceremony.”

Of course, after the Games wind down, both private and commercial aviation will continue at a frenetic pace. While most athletes want to leave immediately, some will have to stay longer because of aircraft scheduling demands, and yet others will just be arriving for the Paralympic Games, which begin on August 28.

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