What are the traffic figures for 2024 and what is the outlook for 2025?
Anthony Martin - Paris-Beauvais is characterised by very dynamic traffic after the Covid years. We have experienced growth of over 64% since 2019. Last year, Paris-Beauvais welcomed 6.56 million passengersThis represents an increase of 16.3% compared with 2023. The start of the year confirms continued growth. Over the first two months of 2025passenger numbers are up increase of more than 10%. With particularly high occupancy rates.
How are you managing this rapid growth?
Anthony Martin - It's true that this very strong growth generates capacity problems, particularly during the summer season. The traffic peaks in terms of movements are between 6am and 6.30am, with the departure of the five aircraft from the base. Ryanair. There was a second wave between 8.00 and 9.00 am - in fact the biggest of the day. Two other waves follow, between 17:00 and 18:00 and then between 20:00 and 21:00 when the planes return to their base. This is where we see bottlenecks. So we're working in partnership with the airlines to spread the slots out further. It's not always easy, especially for airlines based at Beauvais. They are more rigid because they have to maximise the use of their aircraft.
How do you adapt your facilities?
Anthony Martin - We proceeded to an extension before the Olympic Games. The number of security checkpoints has been increased to six. The boarding lounges have also been extended and a new arrivals circuit has been created with a dedicated building. These are emergency measures prior to the launch of a A major expansion project that will triple the surface area of the airport's terminals. They will increase from 15,000 m² to 43,000 m². The main aim of this project is to provide passengers with greater comfort.
Can you tell us more about this future expansion?
Anthony Martin - The preliminary design includes a new building to link the existing Terminals 1 and 2. We are going to make maximum use of the existing building. The new building was designed by the Ameller-Dubois architectural firm, which created a wood and metal structure that meets high environmental standards. It will be spread over two levels. The ground floor will comprise a public concourse and a check-in hall. The security filters will be located on the second floor. Passengers will then have access to a shopping area, a duty-free area and will join a new pier dedicated to Schengen flights. At the same time, the number of aircraft stationed around the terminal is set to rise from 12 to 18.
What is the timetable for this investment?
Anthony Martin - We hope to obtain all the necessary building permits by two years. If work begins in 2027, the new structure should be operational in 2029. The future airport complex will be able to accommodate some 8 million passengers for 45,000 aircraft movements per year. And probably more with the introduction of larger aircraft.
Which destinations would you like to add to your network?
Anthony Martin - We have a very specific focus on Central Europe with routes to destinations not served from Orly or Roissy. These are 'niche' routes to Albania, Moldova, Romania and Poland. Conditions permitting, we also hope to find lines onUkraine. In particular to Kharkov and Odessa as well as Kiev and Lviv. Beauvais is also linked to many Mediterranean destinations such as Trieste in Italy and Santander in Spain. In Europe, we would like to have flights to Germany, as we have nothing at the moment. As well as domestic flights to Marseille and Nice because there is a real demand in the catchment area around the airport. Finally, we are working to attracting airlines from Central Asia because there is also a demand.
Are there any plans to improve ground access and add services to the airport area?
Anthony Martin - The bus station will be moved to make way for the future junction building. We will also be creating 2,000 additional parking spaces. But there are currently no plans for a rail service on the airport site. In terms of services, we would like to see an additional thirty or forty rooms added to the Ibis Airport. As for a service zone at the airport, we are in fact close to a ZAC, Novaparc, which is home to a number of businesses.
