France

While Parisians and even the people of Bordeaux have already seen its antique 2CVs on the streets, 4 Roues sous un Parapluie has started a new chapter in its history in the middle of Covid. After 18 years in business, the events agency has been taken over by two passionate engineers, Emmanuel Mounier and Romain Jouhaud, chairman and CEO respectively.

"Resolutely confident", "Results beyond our forecasts": on the occasion of the publication of the 2021 results, the management of Caen airport sent out "positive vibes" to an aviation market that is emerging from a particularly gloomy period. It has to be said that the Normandy hub has indeed bounced back...

With the confinements and restrictions that have still disrupted much of 2021, the French hotel industry has come through a year deemed "complex" by Olivier Petit, partner at In Extenso Tourism, Culture and Hospitality. Unsurprisingly, revenue per overall room - RevPAR - is still far from having returned to 2019 levels, down...

The Bordeaux-Toulouse high-speed rail link project is finally back on track. At the end of last week, the 24 local authorities involved in the New Aquitaine and Occitania regions approved the €14.3 billion financing plan for the work. The local authorities will be contributing €5.6 billion, while the French government...

The two railway companies RENFE and SNCF are to cease joint operation of the high-speed train lines between France and Spain. Cooperation between the two carriers will cease at the end of 2022. Launched in 2013, the lines operated jointly by the two operators have never been profitable, and SNCF has been unable to...

Volotea is announcing historic growth in its offer in Europe in 2022, with 39% more seats, 45 new routes and almost 70,000 flights. In total, Volotea will offer 11 million seats in Europe, far surpassing 2019's record of 8.5 million seats. Volotea also plans to carry...

Is recycling in the air these days? It's an idea that's gaining ground every day when it comes to furniture, clothes, plastics and other used materials. The Envergure project takes this upcycling approach even further. At a time when many airlines are pushing the Airbus A380 into retirement, Frédéric Deleuze intends to give a new lease of life to...

In France, as in Paris, 2021 was already a productive year for the hotel industry. If not very active in the capital, due to the prolonged absence of international tourists. Notable openings in Paris include two potential new palaces - Cheval Blanc and Bulgari - and the private hotel-club Soho House,...

With the fifth wave sweeping across France and Europe, how do you see 2022? Eric Viale - I'm approaching this year with cautious optimism, but with confidence. The good thing is that we now have the lessons to learn and the best practices to apply, in addition to scientific advances and vaccination efforts. We have...

The Air France group is pursuing its strategy of expanding Transavia. On Tuesday, the airline announced that it had inherited three new business routes. Starting on 27 March, two domestic routes will be operated from Orly airport. Transavia will then connect Pau and Perpignan. The first destination will be...

After making its return to the Paris-Clermont-Ferrand route last November, Amelia began operations between Orly and Brive under its own colours on 5 January. The company had already been operating between these two airports for over a year, but for Air France. The move had been made official less than a month earlier at...

Are you allowed to eat while travelling or not? This is not such a trivial question, following the government's announcement at the end of last week that it would be forbidden to eat food on board trains. Especially on long journeys. Before taking a plane or a train, will we have to hurry up and gobble down some food?

In its annual review of the French rail transport market in 2020, the Autorité de Régulation des Transports (ART) notes that the market remains attractive to new operators. Competition in rail transport services in the European Union came into effect on 13 December 2020. Alternative operators are ready to cross swords with the...

Twin Jet is continuing its coverage of the French regions with the resumption of the Marseille-Toulouse route on 17 January. This will be the fourth destination to be served from Marseille. Targeting business customers, Twin Jet will be offering 5 direct return flights a week between the two cities. Flight times will be just one hour. The flights will...

Volotea is preparing for the arrival of summer with the announcement of new flights from Nantes airport. While the destinations unveiled on 22 December are mainly aimed at leisure customers, business travellers in Nantes will be able to take advantage of a new route to a European capital. The low-cost airline is planning to fly to Rome. There will be two flights per...

According to consultant OAG, air capacity rose slightly in the week to 13 December. It rose by 3.8 % week-on-week to 81.4 million seats declared. However, capacity in terms of seats is still 26.21 % lower than in 2019. OAG notes that the Omicron variant does not...

The Lufthansa Group's route between Rennes and Frankfurt is good news for the French market. It gives Lufthansa an eleventh regular destination in France. The German airline already serves the airports of Paris CDG and Orly, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Mulhouse-Basle, Nantes, Nice, Strasbourg and Toulouse...

Can you summarise the status and role of Provence Côte d'Azur Events? Héliéna Brégand - Provence Côte d'Azur Events (PCE) is the regional Convention Bureau, set up as an association, bringing together more than 200 professionals throughout the region, from Avignon to Menton. All the professions are represented: event venues such as palaces, hotels,...

A new wave, a new variant, and therefore new restrictions: such is the health and regulatory context at the beginning of December on an international scale, and France is no exception to the rule. On Wednesday, the government announced the entry into force of a new protocol for international travel. Travellers wishing to visit France...

From 8 April, the tarmac at Paris-CDG airport will see more of the shimmering livery of low-cost carrier Volotea. The Spanish airline, based in Barcelona, will be launching up to four flights a week linking the French capital with Verona in Italy. Verona is an important base for Volotea, which serves some twenty destinations, including...