Lannion–Côte de Granit Airport

Lannion–Côte de Granit Airport

Aéroport de Lannion–Côte de Granit
Lannion–Côte de Granit Airport; Aéroport de Lannion–Côte de Granit
	IATA: LAI; ICAO: LFRO;
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Syndicat Intercommunal de l'Aéroport
Serves	Lannion, France
Location	Servel, France
Elevation AMSL	290 ft / 88 m
Coordinates	48°45′15″N 003°28′28″W / 48.75417°N 3.47444°W
Website	www.lannion.aeroport.fr
Maps
	; Brittany region in France
	LFRO Location of the airport in Brittany
Runways
	Source: French AIP

Lannion–Côte de Granit Airport or Aéroport de Lannion–Côte de Granit (IATA: LAI, ICAO: LFRO) is an airport located in Lannion, near the former municipality of Servel,^[1] a commune of the Côtes-d'Armor département in the Brittany région of France. It is also known as Lannion Airport or Lannion–Servel Airport.

History

In 1937, Lannion - Servel Aerodrome was established with light and sports aviation flights.^[2] Between July 1940 and June 1944, the German Luftwaffe occupied the airfield. The concrete runway was extended to 1,400 m to accommodate fighter aircraft, and subsequently experienced several raids organised by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces.

1959–1974

In April 1959, the National Center for Telecommunications Studies (CNET) set up a first department near the airfield runway. A flight test center, the CNET “research center”, was inaugurated on October 28, 1963.^[3]

In 1964, creation of a special connection reserved for CNET personnel with the Villacoublay military airfield until December 2001 (25,000 passengers per year on average).

In 1974, the Rousseau Aviation company opened the first commercial line to Paris via Dinard in Hawker Siddley 7487. The company was then absorbed by TAT (Touraine Air Transport), which continued operations and was itself sold in 1997 to Air Freedom.^[4]

1976–2016

In 1976–1977, the direct line to Paris was provided by TAT8 in VFW-614. The latter company complained about unfair competition from the CNET plane on its route to Paris.^[5]^[6]

In 1989, the track was increased to 1,700 m. Connections to Paris were made by Fairchild 227 B known as Fokker 27 by TAT and on certain connections via Saint-Brieuc10 airport.^[7]

In 1994, a new terminal was created; in 2001, it was expanded with new offices.

In 1997, Air Liberté operated the line to Paris (until 2003). High-intensity marking was installed.

In 2000, 85,000 passengers passed through the platform.

In 2001, Air Liberté was liquidated and the line was taken over by Air Lib. In December, the CNET line stopped permanently.

In 2003, Air Lib was liquidated in turn. Brit Air took over the line, chartering planes from Airlinair until 2009.

In 2005, the airport saw 52,000 passengers. That same year, a project was proposed to extend the runway by 360 meters to accommodate larger planes, with the goal of developing the airport through low-cost flights. However, the project was not fully implemented until 2006, when it was completed and reinforced.^[8]

In 2009, a public service delegation was created. After a call for tenders, Airlinair was chosen to operate the line on its own account at the expense of Brit Air.

The joint association gave itself one year to demonstrate the economic interest of the site. 34,000 passengers used the platform.

In 2012, Airlinair denounced the public service agreement. The financiers accepted an “extension” of €700,000 to maintain the line until September 22, 2013.

In September 2016, the airport lost its status as a border post (disappearance of the Customs post), penalizing tourist flights coming from England or the Channel Islands. From now on, Saint-Brieuc Customs will operate this border post on request.^[9]