Lille Airport, a quiet force

It's an airport that doesn't get much of a buzz, but which is showing very respectable growth rates up to 2020. Lille airportto the south of the northern metropolis, welcomed nearly 2.2 million visitors in 2019which placed him in 11th position in France, behind Beauvais airport and ahead of Montpellier.

By 2021, Lille has 1.17 million passengers again - a result similar to its 2011 traffic levels. According to airport management, passenger traffic continued to recover in the first half of the year. The traffic figures are down by just under 25% compared with the base year of 2019.

" The recovery has been sustained by an immediate consumer response to the lifting of health restrictions. We therefore expect to see between 1.8 and 1.9 million passengers this year.. i.e. 80% of 2019 traffic" says an airport spokesman.

Lille traffic highlights with Volotea, Easyjet and TUI Fly

Lille's potential remains clear, as it encompasses a catchment area estimated at 4 million inhabitants for the Hauts-de-France region, and even six million if neighbouring Belgium is included.

This explains the return or strengthening of the airline offer in Lille. Eleven airlines serve the airport the most active of which are Easyjet, TUI Fly and Volotea. Also landing Air France, Air Algérie, Binter Canarias, Ryanair or even Transavia. In total, some 50 destinations served this summer. With an increasing focus on North Africa. In particular TUI Fly serves seven Moroccan cities and inaugurated the 6 July flights on Bejaia and Tlemcen in Algeria.

As for VoloteaThe low-cost airline is really coming into its own. Present in Lille since 2012, Volotea has already carried more than a million passengers since its inception. With the stationing of a second aircraft since July, Volotea is entering a new dimension in Lille. It offers 24 destinations from base. On 11 July, Volotea launched new routes including services toAthens, Barcelona, Malaga and Rome - for business passengers.

There is still potential for traffic to the Mediterranean, but also to Central Europe and the United Kingdom on point-to-point routes.

The company also benefited from the withdrawal of HopAir France's regional subsidiary. Volotea has taken over Hop's routes to Nantes, Bordeaux and Toulouse.with the introduction of Airbus A319/A320 aircraft. These offer an average capacity 55% to 80 % higher than Hop.

Other routes should be added in the near future. " There is still potential for traffic to the Mediterranean, but also to Central Europe and the United Kingdom on point-to-point routes." says airport management.

Terminal expansion in sight

The airport is working on improving mobility and the future expansion of the terminal. Since 1 July, the Airport Shuttle, which links the airport directly to Lille's railway station district, has doubled its frequency during the day.. Departures from both the airport and the city centre take place every
30 minutes.

Since 5 July, services to the airport have also been improved by the 68 bus route, which offers connections with the TER regional express train and the Lille metro. The airport management is now working to establish a direct public transport link to West Flanders. " We are in discussions with Belgium about a potential opening in 2023." says the airport management.

What now remains the terminal expansion project. It is made necessary by thecongestion during traffic peaksIn particular, the screening checkpoints and check-in counters. The terminal, inaugurated in 1996, was designed for 1.5 million passengers. This level of traffic was well exceeded over the last decade, until the Covid crisis. But according to projections, Lille could welcome between 2.6 and 3 million passengers around 2027. And more than 3.5 million passengers ten years later.

The project will increase the surface area of the terminal from 18,000 m² to 33,400 m².. It would provide for a complete separation of departures and arrivals. The construction of a pier with flexible boarding lounges (Schengen or Non-Schengen) and 4 pre-boarding bridges would be created. If planning permission is granted by the end of 2023, the new facilities could come into service by 2025/2026.