Paris-Vatry airport is over!
Lhe decision was taken at a board meeting last March and is due to come into effect at the start of the school year: Paris-Vatry Airport will change its name. Ridiculed at best by foreign candidates for a trip to France when they learn they will land 140km as the crow flies from the Champs-Élysées, the term “Paris” alongside “Vatry” dates back to 2006.
The platform then received this official name from IATA (International Air Transport Organization). Today, Christian Bruyen, President (DVD) of the Departmental Council of Marne and the CA of the public body that manages the airport (which belongs to the department), lifts the veil on this new episode in the existence of the structure .
Why ?
“The idea of connecting Paris to Vatry aimed to give this new airport greater visibility. Why not ! But it’s almost dishonest to try to fool passengers into thinking there’s a subway entrance right outside the terminal. The last known experience on our platform of selling the Eiffel Tower to Londoners was not very convincing. That’s the least we can say, and I said it, but we weren’t the decision makers (read opposite). Insofar as we recognize that the current name is not necessarily the most sensible one, reflection is essential. »
A negative term for cargo
“Today, for cargo, it is negative to say that our airport is “Parisian”, since the operators are fed up with being often “abused” in the capital due to the delays in freight traffic, which can be extremely long. »
Cargo activity only at 2021 levels
12,983 tons of cargo handled in six months. By 2020 this would have more than satisfied successive leaders of Vatry! There is disappointment in 2022, because it is hardly better than in the first half of 2021 (12,939 tons). And the target for 2022, 45,000 tons, which after an extravagant fiscal 2021 (30,588 tons, up 150
What name ?
“The decision will therefore initially be whether or not to remove the term vatry. add champagne? Reflection can also focus on this idea. This is suggested to us by institutional and private tourism stakeholders. But our core business is cargo, not passengers. »
no COM
“This name change is an operation intended for businesses, not necessarily, at least initially, the general public and passengers. It is therefore the airport board that positions itself at the beginning of the school year, making decisions without first resorting to a communications agency. Nothing says we’re going to use it next. We will not revolutionize communications at this Vatry airport, this will happen gradually as expectations or opportunities arise. »
The inzeair flop
The cancellation of flights to London, Nice and Ajaccio, which the new company Inzeeair was supposed to offer from the end of May to the end of September, endangers the passenger program from Vatry. “We believed in this project, even when there were questions. We did everything we could to help him and avoid a total flight stop.” assures Christian Bruyen. “We always remain open to the development of passenger traffic via routes to the south of France, EU countries and beyond. On the other hand, I believe there is no future towards London.”. In the meantime, only Ryanair flights to Marrakech and Porto will be operated from Vatry this summer and next winter.