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.