The French government confirmed today it will no longer go ahead with the previously approved plans for the expansion of Charles de Gaulle airport. The second busiest airport in Europe in 2019 (after Heathrow), Charles de Gaulle airport opened in 1974 and handled more than 76 million passengers in 2019.
In 2020, global air freight demand plummeted to its lowest level since 2009 and “global passenger traffic demand (revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) fell by 65.9% compared to the full year of 2019, by far the sharpest traffic decline in aviation history”.
So what?
Environment minister, Barbara Pompili, told Le Monde that with 66% less air traffic in 2020, the expansion plans were obsolete, not to mention the necessary evolution of the sector towards sustainability.
Read next:
- Aviation: no going back – Jonathon Porritt, Founder Director of Forum for the Future, examines the COVID-19 shock to the aviation industry, and what that means not just for a sustainable future for airlines, but their survival.
- Navigating the skies towards a low carbon future by Oriana Brine
Sources
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France scraps plans to extend Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport https://www.thelocal.fr/20210211/france-to-scrap-paris-airport-expansion-minister/ -
Planète - Actualités, vidéos et infos en direct https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/ -
France to scrap 'obsolete' Paris airport expansion - France 24 https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210211-france-to-scrap-obsolete-paris-airport-expansion -
Air freight demand plummets to lowest level in 10 years https://www.aviationbusinessnews.com/cargo/air-freight-demand-plummets-lowest-level-10-years/ -
2020 Worst Year in History for Air Travel Demand https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/pr/2021-02-03-02/
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