Due to the creation of two routes Lorient — Paris Charles de Gaulle and Lorient — Lyon St-Exupéry operated by Amelia (by Regourd Aviation) on behalf of Air France, the Lorient Bretagne Sud airport’s activity has been recording a strong growth.
Credit : Claude Prigent
Lorient Bretagne Sud airport was built in 1961 for the development of French provinces initiated by de Gaulle’s regional planning. It is linked to one of the biggest French military base: the aeronautic naval base of Lann-Bihoué (1938).
Today, it guarantees access to four national destinations: Toulouse, Paris-Le Bourget, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Lyon St-Exupéry. These routes were created after the “LAPPELDES56” movement which was initiated by Pierre Montel, the CCI Morbihan president, on the 23th of February 2018 and mobilised more than 200 local councillors and CEO. Their goal was twofold: first of all, to keep an airport between Nantes and Brest for the 700 000 people living near by the airport and seond of all, to connect it to an international hub.
An airport connected to two international hubs
The appeal was heard in October 2018 when Air France offered two flights: one for Paris-Charles de Gaulle and another one for Lyon St-Exupéry. The flights are operated with Embraer 145 by Amelia International (ex-Aero4M), the Slovenian subsidiary of Amelia. It gives Lorient the possibility to be linked to two international hubs.
After the suspension of both Ryanair international flights and the route to Paris-Orly, the airport gets back on its feet. Furthermore, an accessibility program for the region was firmed on the 8th of February 2019. It includes the following commitment: “to integrate the sustainability of the civil activity of the Lorient-Lann-Bihoué airport”.
Promising results
The figures speak for themselves. Between November 2018 and April 2019, the number of passengers on Lorient — Paris CDG flights could be estimate at 28 000 (Air France data). One in six airplanes is full with an average load factor of 82%, 10% higher than 2018.
Those flights post a record in terms of punctuality. With 99% of the flights landed on time, Lorient rose in the top 3 of punctual French airports. These results confirm Amelia’s reputation based on premium services and a high level of requirement. A proof of reliability well-known by Air France. For some months, both companies have been operating two hauls together: Aurillac — Paris and Castres — Paris.
The Morbihan Chamber of Commerce plans to renovate the airport and to create new routes to the South of France and abroad. As a result, Lorient Bretagne Sud gradually gains visibility while contributing to the economic and touristic development of the area.