Airport of the La Rochelle - Ile de Ré

The airport of the La Rochelle - Ile de Ré is a Aéroport located at La Rochelle, in the department of Charente-Maritime, in France.

This Aérodrome is opened with the commercial, regular traffic national and international or not, with the private aircrafts, IFR and VFR.

History

As of on January 28th, 1932, the Chamber of commerce and of industry seriously considers the creation of an airport with the La Rochelle, in complement with the mole of stopover of the port of Pallice, in connection with the transatlantic liners.

In 1933, old drivers of the first war, like Pierre Vieljeux (wire of Leonce Vieljeux), Victor Lucas and Plantard, supported by the City and the Chamber of commerce, decide to create a Aéro-club and try to convince the military authorities of the interest of the Aviation. These last will place at their disposal the ground of Lagord apart from the periods of operations. The ground is arranged to offer two tracks in cross of 650 meters, and a hangar of 400 m ² is built there in 1934.

The aero club opens a flying school then (Georges Simenon will be the 31e raises) and organizes many air meetings which meet success so much that precipitates the decision to build a Aéroport, under consideration since January 1932.

July 18th, 1938, after long feasibility studies and the choice of a site between Repented and Laleu, a ministerial decision authorizes the creation of the Aérodrome, in which the State takes part in half, the remaining half being distributed with equal shares between the Chamber of commerce and the City. The same year, the company of the planes Henriot sign a convention of exploitation of the aerodrome, as well as the creation of a school of pilots and mechanics having for mission of informing the pupils with the military pilot's license.

In August 1939, hardly a few weeks before the beginning of the Second world war, the airport is finished and is used then as place of formation for the pilots.

June 23rd, 1940, 20 000 Soldier S of the Wehrmacht, take possession of the La Rochelle. In the context of the Atlantic Wall, the German army makes build as of 1941 many Blockhaus on all the littoral, as well as immense a bases underwater with the commercial port of Pallice, intended to shelter a Flottille Sous-marin S of the Kriegsmarine. The airport as for him is requisitioned for the detecting planes of mines and the Escadrille S of hunting of the Luftwaffe making safe the underwater base.

Throughout the conflict, the underwater base and the airport are bombarded on several occasions by the American bombers Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator, like by the bombers English Handley Page Halifax and Avro Lancaster which releases there the first bombs Tallboy (5 tons) and Grand Slam (10 tons).

It is Après-guerre, starting from 1946, that the airport takes truly its rise, with the startup of lines of charter aircrafts towards Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes and Paris. In 1961, it is equipped with a track into hard, and 1966 of a Aérogare. The first regular links towards Paris are made starting from 1967.

The success of air transport causes the stop of the exploitation of the special non-stop trains, connecting Paris with the La Rochelle and the Port of Pallice, in 1962.

Companies and lines

The airport, by accommodating the companies Ryanair, Airlinair, Flybe, Jet 2 and EasyJet, is the only French airport with that of more important Marseilles at low prices to join together both airline companies.

He proposes daily lines bound for Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin, London, Lyon, Paris and Southampton, as well as weekly or specific connections towards Ajaccio Marrakech and Palma.

The methods of financing of the airport and subsidizing of certain companies gave place to a litigation opposing the Chamber of commerce and of industry of the La Rochelle, manager of the airport, and the department of Charente-Maritime, financor to some extent. Seized by the CCI, the Regional court of the accounts of Poitou-Charentes delivered an opinion on July 26th, 2007 partly giving reason to the CCI.

Evolution of the traffic

The airport of the La Rochelle transported 180 927 passengers in 2006, is a progression of 41,8% of the traffic compared to 2005, and of 18,5% per annum over the five last years. It is the most important airport of the area, in front of that of Poitiers. The traffic should double from here 2015.

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