Paris sets agenda as European ait hub

Paris sets agenda as European ait hub

Air France recently invited a group of Indonesian journalists
to have a close look at its services and the Charles de Gaulle
Airport and its facilities in Paris. The Jakarta Post's reporter
Akmal Syams wrote the following two articles.

PARIS (JP): Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris will add two
new runways to dramatically increase its capacity and secure its
position as one of Europe's major hubs.

With the addition of these third and fourth runways, the
airport will be able to accommodate up to 55 million passengers
annually, compared to the 32 million passengers it served last
year, Mrs. Luce Marc, Air France Charles de Gaulle Airport public
relations manager, said here recently.

The authorities expect annual passenger traffic to reach 39
million in five years, she said.

In comparison, Hong Kong's newly-built, modern Chek Lap Kok
airport, which is expected to start operation next April, will
have an annual maximum capacity of 38 million passengers.

Reserved for landing only, the two runways will enable the
airport to handle 500,000 aircraft movements annually, compared
to 360,000 last year.

Luce Marc told The Jakarta Post that with the two existing
runways operating near capacity, construction work on the new
runways will begin immediately.

The first runway is expected to be completed at the beginning
of 1999, with the second opening towards the end of 2000. Each
runway will be 2,700 meters long, compared to 3,000 meters for
the existing facilities.

"Our ambition for Charles de Gaulle 2 is to become the leading
European hub and be comparable to the best American hubs," said
Luce Marc.

Arthur Bullard, Air France Asia Pacific managing director,
said that the two largest European hubs, Heathrow and Frankfurt,
now operate at capacity and cannot grow any further.

With international air transport expected to increase by at
least 6 percent in coming years, the extensions at the airport
will dramatically increase capacity to Europe, he said.

"This is particularly important to Asia, a travel market that
is growing rapidly," he added.

Luce Marc said that among the European hubs, they enjoy a
privileged situation: a central position in Europe, considerable
traffic and significant development potential.

"Apart from this, France is one of the leading tourist
destinations in the world and represents the largest domestic air
transport market in Europe," she said.

The changes at the 8-shaped terminal are also designed to help
foreign travelers, in particular passengers from Asia, with easy
transfers. All signs are in both French and English. A foreign
language information desk has been opened in the main arrival
hall and flights from Asia are met by local language speaking Air
France representatives. They are trained to help passengers with
any queries they may have, particularly those passengers having
to transfer elsewhere in Europe.

Some Air France ticket sales centers in Paris also employ
staff who can speak certain foreign languages, including
Indonesian.

Everything is aimed at reducing flight time and speeding up
transfers. Domestic and international flights operate side by
side, so distances are very short. Baggage sorting capacity has
been increased and boarding gates refitted to allow for the
simultaneous boarding of several flights. The French Directorate
of Civil Aviation spent US$4 million in extending the air traffic
control room and installing a new radar system.

Air France traffic through the airport grew 20 percent last
year. A further 20 percent rise is predicted for 1997 as a result
of Air France's alliance with Continental Airlines and Delta
Airlines, and increasing traffic from the Asia-Pacific region.
Air France welcomes the extensions to its international hub, as
these allow it to consolidate its turnaround plan, attract new
allies, and ensure growth in the future.

At Charles de Gaulle Airport, Air France has channeled its
flights into five connecting banks or time spans of two and a
half hours each. Previously, there were eight banks, which were
too far apart and therefore inconvenient for the passengers.

In each bank, one flight arrives and another one leaves every
two minutes. This represents over 400 takeoffs and landings a day
and more than 10,000 connecting passengers.

According to Luce Marc, the main purpose of the hub is to
satisfy its customers, to encourage them to travel via Paris-
Charles de Gaulle rather than via London, Frankfurt or Amsterdam.

"The customer is an airline's lifeblood. Air France knows this
and has put the concerns of customers before all other
considerations. This is clear from the corporate project, in the
newly-designed medium-haul and long-haul services and in its
Charter of Passenger Rights," she added.

Although the airport's terminal 2 was not initially built for
connecting flights, the short distances make it quite simple and
quick to get from one hall to another.

Air France and the Paris Airport Authority have always worked
closely together to ensure that passengers find their way easily
along the different connecting channels.

In the arrival areas, a panel of TV monitors shows the
passengers constantly updated information on the time and
terminal for onward flights.

A map of terminal 2 has been added to each panel of TV
monitors so that passengers can immediately see where they are
and where they want to go (information desks, rest rooms, etc.)

Express trains

TGV and RER express train services are also provided to and
from terminal 1 and 2. TGV express trains connect the airport
with the cities of Lyon and Lille, while RER Metro trains link it
with Paris city center.

Bus shuttle services for domestic transit passengers to and
from Orly airport, which is about 20 minutes drive away, are also
available.

Terminal 2 also provides a family waiting room at Hall C which
is equipped with facilities for children to play.

March 1996 saw the opening of the Air France hub at terminal
2, marking a new era for both the airport and the airline.
Terminal 2 has four halls -- hall A for Paris-American routes;
hall B for Paris-European routes (non-Schengen); hall C for
Paris-Asian routes and hall D for Paris-European routes (7
Schengen countries). Terminal 1, which is not far from the new
terminal, is dedicated to Paris-African routes.