Cannes Airport
The airport in Cannes, which is expected to welcome an additional three million annual tourists when its new terminal opens in September 2021, has been ranked the one most likely to be affected by air traffic infrastructure constraints in this region of the world.
The airport at Cannes is now being renovated, with three new terminals being built and expanded over the next five years.
Spanning the existing boundaries of Cannes and the newly built La Grande Maranche District, this airport complex will ultimately see five new passenger terminals built to coincide with the planned growth in demand for air travel into this region.
At a projected cost of almost EUR 2 billion, the new terminals will expand capacity to nearly 15 million people per year, more than tripling the current airport’s capacity during the high summer season.
However, while the construction will be well underway by the time the airport’s new terminal opens in September 2021, the potential scale of disruption at other airports in the region – such as Toulouse – means this may not be enough.
New flights for Cannes
The expansion of the runway at Toulouse is already nearing completion with the first test flights taking off in mid-2021, with the official opening in the summer of 2021. This airport currently serves more than 2.8 million passengers each year.
According to the CAA, other new flights to be introduced in the region include Geneva-Marseille, Geneva-Valencia, Geneva-Cordoba and Geneva-Nizza in 2021.
The report highlights further opportunities to increase air capacity.
Cannes Airport is also considered the most likely airport to suffer major disruption from construction activity in this part of the world, with the construction of the new Toulouse airport expected to affect more than 600,000 flights in the coming years, and bring additional challenges for the global aviation sector.
Airport worst affected by congestion
Regional authorities are aware that this will impact directly on passengers of the existing airport in Cannes.
It is estimated that these passengers, who are faced with more delays and longer journeys, could represent a total of 50,000 of the 170,000 potential new passengers arriving at the airport each year, according to the CAA.
According to the CAA, the current airport in Cannes is already the worst affected of all major airports in the region.
Cannes Airport currently suffers delays of up to 45 minutes on its three most important domestic and international routes – Paris-Calais-Paris, Milan-Bergamo-Paris and Milan-Düsseldorf-Paris – with estimated delays of up to 30 minutes on others, the CAA says.
However, the analysis shows that these delays will grow with the development of other airports in the region, as new routes, terminals and destinations are added to the airport system.
Conversely, while the airport could be further congested during this development phase, the current congestion is a consequence of growing demand in this part of the world.
This growth is the result of recent record levels of aviation activity in Europe – which has seen a total of more than 118 million passengers and more than 36 million tonnes of cargo air transported to and from the region, according to the CAA report.
While the construction of new airports is a vital part of the overall economic development of the regions in which they are being built, the new report suggests that even this will not be enough to ease congestion at existing airports.
Indeed, with the present rate of air traffic increase, the existing airport in Cannes’ capacity might be depleted in just 15 years.
For the aviation industry, it is now considered the more realistic option for airport authorities to try to attract more airlines into the region with the promise of wider flight slots to expand airport capacity.
However, for passengers, this is unlikely to happen soon enough.
Advice from Paris
To make matters worse, the report also includes detailed recommendations for the management of the existing airport in Cannes.
In particular, the report recommends reducing congestion on the existing airport by separating the arrival hall from the transfer desks, as well as helping travellers by displaying departure schedules from all departing flights.
It suggests that those travelling from the south-east could be best served by using alternative transport to reach the airport, as well as staying away from the airport as much as possible during peak hours.
Passengers should also be encouraged to travel at least two hours before their flight departs to arrive at the airport.
Finally, more passenger facilitation staff would be needed to provide customer service to passengers, including guiding and advising them in airport facilities as well as informing them of the airport layout, according to the CAA.
The report adds that additional security measures should also be implemented to help increase security measures and improve safety.
Aside from highlighting the shortage of airport capacity in Cannes, the CAA report highlights the difficulty of transporting passengers through the existing airport, despite the complex journey itself.
For those arriving by plane, the current airport, located in the heart of the city, is accessed from three different railway stations.
As well as using public transport, it is also recommended that passengers could walk to the train station, to make sure they arrive at the correct terminal in the city centre.
For those travelling from the south-east, the report recommends using the Airport Express Line, from the city centre, to get to the airport in less than an hour.
Once there, passengers should be encouraged to take the EasyBus, to and from the airport.
Even though it only operates for a limited number of flights, the CAA says that those who use the Express Line are likely to spend significantly less on flights, and could help ease the airport’s current congestion.
For those on the airfield, it is recommended that emergency airfield access be extended to facilitate the immediate evacuation of passengers in the event of an emergency.
About Dubai Airport
Dubai Airport in the UAE is the busiest airport on the entire Arabian Peninsula. It’s home to the largest passenger and cargo hub in the world, and it serves more than 220 flights to 62 international destinations (including six domestic destinations), carrying more than 80 million passengers annually.
Dubai Airport has full security screening for all international flights, and Dubai City Airport has full security screening for all domestic flights. Dubai Airport is open to international flights up to 23,000 feet, and there’s no restriction on flying up to the maximum destination height of 25,000 feet.
Dubai City is the UAE’s second-largest city. It’s about four times the size of Dubai Airport and has nine airports, making it a transit airport. Dubai City Airport is just six miles from Dubai International Airport, and it’s within 30 minutes of Dubai’s city center by the Airport Express Train.
Designed to serve the city’s huge passenger and cargo capacity, Dubai City Airport is a terminal-based airport. It features an average hourly capacity of 2,200 departing flights, with 30-minute security screening (on certain international routes).
Flight Range
New York City and Dubai’s flight schedules are set up similarly to New York City and Abu Dhabi’s flight schedules. Dubai is one of only two international airports in the world to have a daily passenger terminal landing from six different flights and six different airports in the world. Dubai’s flight schedule is based on the airlines’ flight schedules.
While Dubai City Airport is accessible for arriving international flights, Dubai International Airport is far more convenient for departing international flights. Dubai International Airport has a flight schedule with the shortest flight radius in the world. Dubai International Airport, with 16 daily flights to more than six destinations, provides carriers like Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad Airways with a faster flight turnaround time and a shorter flight path. This means more opportunities for business travel in the UAE, with shorter trips to popular destinations such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, South Africa, and the US.
Access to Dubai International Airport
With 16 international flights from six different airports, Dubai International Airport provides access to international travel destinations to a much larger global market than Dubai City Airport. Dubai International Airport is an international gateway for flights to over 150 cities across six different continents. It provides direct flights to six international cities in Asia: Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore. It provides direct flights to nine international cities in Europe, including Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Brussels, Frankfurt, and London. It also provides direct flights to one international city in South America, with flights to Buenos Aires, which has a nine-hour flight distance. Dubai International Airport provides direct flights to nine international cities in the Middle East, with flights to Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Jeddah.
On September 24, 2021, Dubai International Airport was approved to use the newest global air traffic management technology from Lockheed Martin, as it leveraged Dubai Airports’ global airport network. The system will help manage some 3.3 million flights in the UAE over the next 10 years.
With access to Dubai’s unique airport system, international travel becomes increasingly seamless and accessible. With new connections and greater frequencies to established destinations, Dubai International Airport provides a seamless connection to over 150 destinations on six continents. This creates a world-class travel experience with convenient and streamlined flight connections, security screening at a minimal wait time, and a unique travel experience that can’t be matched.
Choose Dubai for a convenient international travel experience with fewer flight connections, less time spent traveling, and a seamless experience when you arrive.
Visit Dubai City Airport’s website for information regarding daily flights and upcoming service information for Dubai International Airport.
The entire world has access to Dubai’s incredible experience and facilities through Dubai City Airport. Dubai City Airport delivers a straightforward and comfortable experience for travelers from all over the world.
For more information on Dubai City Airport, visit Dubai City Airport’s website, follow Dubai City Airport on Twitter, or download Dubai City Airport’s Mobile App.