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Paris airport traffic ‘down 98.6% in April’

Total passenger traffic at Paris airports fell by 98.6 percent in April from the same period a year earlier as the effects of the coronavirus outbreak began to be felt in full, its operator said on Friday.

Published: 16 May 2020 10:32 CEST

Paris airport traffic 'down 98.6% in April'

A member of Charles de Gaulle airport personnel wears a protective face mask in the deserted passport control section of arrivals in Terminal 2 of Charles de Gaulle international airport, May 14 2020:

Airlines and operators say that the industry is facing an unprecedented crisis due to the restrictions on travel that may take years to recover from.

“In April 2020… Paris Aéroport traffic decreased by 98.6 percent with 0.1 million passengers welcomed,” Group ADP, which operates the city's main Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, said in a statement.

Orly has been temporarily closed since April 1 due to the decline in demand while at Paris Charles de Gaulle only terminals 2A, 2C, 2E and 2F have been kept open to operate commercial flights, it said.

Only between 5,000-7,000 passengers are currently passing through the airport every day, it said.

The French government has said people will be able to take summer holidays but is strongly discouraging international travel, especially outside Europe.

France this week lifted an almost two month lockdown imposed on March 17. But people still cannot travel more than 100 kilometres (60 miles) without a compelling reason.

Air France-KLM is to benefit from seven billion euros in loans either from or backed by the state, along with an expected two to four billion euros in aid from the Dutch government.

Air France-KLM this month announced a first-quarter loss of 1.8 billion euros.

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Thunderstorms, floods and traffic: France’s last holiday weekend in May

Monday, May 20th is a holiday for most of France, marking the Christian festival of Pentecost, which means that many people will enjoy a three-day weekend.

This is the last of four public holidays in France in May 2024, now we need to wait until August for another extra day off work (since the Fête National on July 14th falls on a Sunday this year).

So what can we expect for the long weekend? Well, bad weather and heavy traffic, unfortunately.

The Moselle département, in north-east France, was placed on red weather alert on Friday after hours of heavy rain caused flash flooding.

The red weather alert initially runs until 9pm on Friday, with between 80mm and 100mm of rain expected, while between 70mm and 90mm are predicted in the far north of the neighbouring Bas-Rhin, with up to 70mm expected further south – figures national forecaster Météo-France said approached records for daily rainfall figures in the region.

Orange alerts in the area remain in place on Saturday.

Image: Météo-France

Rain and occasional storms, some bringing hail, are expected to develop across large parts of the country throughout the weekend, with only the Mediterranean areas likely to remain dry on Saturday.

Showers and sunny spells will continue into Sunday and Monday, with occasional thunderstorms in the south-west. Temperatures throughout the weekend should rise to between 15C and 22C.

To make family getaways on the final long weekend of the month even more difficult, roads watchdog Bison Futé predicts ‘difficult’, or ‘very difficult’ travel conditions on key routes across the country.

Image: Bison Fute

On Friday, traffic is expected to be heavy on routes heading away from major cities towards popular holiday destinations until well into the evening – especially on Paris’s Périphérique and the A86 and A6B, the A7, along the Mediterranean Arc and on the Atlantic seaboard (A11, N165 and A63).

The A13 is likely to remain closed to traffic between Paris and Vaucresson across the holiday weekend, so drivers from the Paris region wishing to reach Normandy are advised to take the A14, A15 or N12

On Saturday, May 18th, conditions on the roads will be difficult nationwide, particularly on roads serving the Mediterranean arc (A7 and A9) and the Atlantic coast (A63 and N165). In the Île-de-France region, traffic will be heavy from early morning onwards on the A6 and A10. From mid-morning onwards, traffic is expected to intensify significantly.

Image: Bison Fute

Routes converging on the A10 and A6 could also see traffic problems on Saturday, Bison Futé warned.

No major forecastable traffic problems are expected on Sunday – but, on Monday, May 20th, short breakers will be returning home, leading to heavy traffic across the country, notably on A7 and A9, in the Mediterranean region, and routes serving the west of the country.

Traffic will be heavy on the A10 and A6 in the Île-de-France region from late morning into the evening. The A13, which should be open, could also experience traffic problems from mid-afternoon onwards, and could continue to do so well into the evening.

Across the country banks and public administration offices will close. Some independent shops may close, while larger stores and chains are more likely to be open, but probably with altered opening hours.

Most bars, restaurants and cafés will remain open while public transport will run as normal.

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