Roissy, 12 March 2008 – During the Paris Transport and Logistics Exhibition (SITL), DHL and Paris-Vatry Airport officially signed an agreement sealing the arrival of the first DHL planes to operate at Vatry.

Since 31 March 2008, a B757 and an ATR72 have served Paris-Vatry with two round-trips daily complementing DHL’s existing air services in and out of the Paris region.

World leader in freight transport and logistics, DHL operates 36 air hubs worldwide, linking more than 220 countries. DHL is adding Paris-Vatry Airport to its network of 12 European hubs. 2 daily round-trips will link Paris-Vatry with Bergamo (Italy), East Midlands (UK) and Vitoria (Spain) using  B757 and ATR72 aircraft. These new flights form part of DHL’s Paris route network which is extended on a regular basis.

“Our air operations to Roissy (4 B757 round-trips) and Vatry ( 2 round trips with B757 and ATR72) complement each other and guarantee the best possible service for ourcustomers. Its proximity with the Paris region allows us to link Vatry airport overnight with DHL’s regional hubs. As for our Paris-Roissy location, it serves as an entry and exit point to and from our European intercontinental hub at Lepizig and will continue to play its role as a hub, in particular to French overseas territories and Africa. This new organization has enabled DHL to create 10 extra jobs at Roissy and for the S.E.V.E. to hire an additional 15 staff at Vatry,” Anne Germain, DHL Aviation’s Network Director for France and the Iberian Peninsula, explains.

Paris-Vatry Airport’s quality of service and know-how in all-cargo operations, its round –the-clock opening and highly professional staff, its proximity to the Paris region and first-class infrastructure caught the eye of DHL’s management, convincing them to integrate the hub within the group’s European network.

“The arrival of DHL reinforces the position of Paris-Vatry Airport as the premier hub in France dedicated to cargo and confirms its complementary role in relation to the Paris airports. I am delighted to be co-operating with DHL and hope it is only the beginning of our relationship. A warm welcome and a high quality of service awaits them at Paris-Vatry and I’m sure they will feel at home very quickly,” says Youssef Sabeh, President and CEO of S.E.V.E. Paris Vatry Airport.

France’s third ranking regional airport for freight and an increasingly popular solution for the handling of larger-scale cargo and logistics operations, Paris-Vatry Airport is located 150 kms from Paris and managed by a private company, S.E.V.E., within the framework of a public service concession signed with the Marne Council.

Scheduled airfreight traffic at Paris-Vatry International airport last year increased by 13% on 2006. Total tonnage handled at the airport was stable at 37,700 tonnes – made up of 37,270 tonnes of flown airfreight and 430 tonnes of trucked airfreight, the latter generated by shipments of Beaujolais.

The increase in scheduled freight was in large part due to the rise in shipments of perishable foodstuffs (fruit, vegetables and fish) and general cargo transported by Avient. In order to cope with increasing volumes of business, the cargo airline, which set up its European hub at Vatry four years ago, acquired a third DC10-30F during 2007. In addition, new developments such as the setting up at the start of 2007 of a route to Hassi Messaoud, in Algeria or more recently the activities of young airline Ceiba Cargo, serving Equatorial Guinea and the launch of a Vatry-Milan service operated twice-weekly by Alitalia Cargo, have contributed to airfreight growth.

Scheduled traffic was complemented by buoyant charter activity with several flights dedicated to humanitarian relief, heavylift and outsize cargo (the airport welcomed the biggest aircraft in the world, the Antonov 225) and the shipment of Beaujolais to Japan.

A new record was established for aircraft movements in 2007, these reaching more than 18,800, a rise of 31%. All traffic segments contributed to the increase; general aviation (+49%), business aviation (+25%) while the number of pilot training flights rose 37%, thanks mainly to operations undertaken by the Air France-KLM group and also by Airbus within the framework of the entry into service of the A380.

Meanwhile, the hub’s Logistics Parks continue to enjoy significant expansion, in particular, with the opening, at the end of 2007, of LOGIST’AIR - a school dedicated to logistics and airport trades training and housed in premises provided by the Châlons-en-Champagne Chamber of Commerce. Another highlight is the location of transporter Norbert Dentressangle into a 52,000 sq.m building developed by logistics property specialist, Gazeley. The airport’s two logistics zones now offer close to 300,000 sq.m of warehousing.

Paris-Vatry Airport, which is located 150 kms from Paris, is operated by private management company, S.E.V.E., within the framework of a public service concession signed with the Marne Department.

It’s become a tradition: each year more and more bottles of Beaujolais are leaving Paris-Vatry Airport bound for wine lovers in Tokyo and in Japan as a whole. It’s worth noting that with close to 9 million litres consumed annually, the equivalent of 12 million bottles, the Japanese are the premier importers ahead of the USA and Germany and this despite a general fall in orders of 15% in 2007.

For four years now, Paris-Vatry Airport has served as a “Beaujolais’ gateway and this year saw nearly 700 tonnes – working out at exactly 531,470 bottles – shipped to Japan by Nippon Express and Yusen Global Logistics, two world-renowned names in global logistics, whether it be by air, ocean, road or rail. The two companies are also among the leading players for the shipment of Beaujolais to Japan.

Customs-cleared to the tightest deadlines, the 2007 vintage will arrive in Japan in time to allow tippling to begin there, as usual, several hours before corks are popped in France.

In serving as a departure point for Beaujolais shipments to Asia, Vatry has demonstrated once again its expertise in the handling of fresh produce and perishable goods and consolidated an increasingly prominent position in the sector at European level and on the wider international front.

Located 150 kms from Paris and offering 24-hour opening, 7 days week, Paris-Vatry Airport is a dedicated cargo and logistics hub run by a private company, S.E.V.E., within the framework of a public service concession signed with the Marne Council.

4,140 tonnes of airfreight was handled in November 2007 - the highest-ever monthly figure recorded by Paris-Vatry airport since it opened for operations in January 2000.

As 2007 draws to a close, all the signs point to an increase of 10% in the number of all-cargo flights and tonnage similar to the previous year. It’s worth noting that new developments at Paris-Vatry have already borne fruit from the third quarter of 2007.

Almost 700 tonnes of Beaujolais, handled by aircraft and truck, enabled Vatry to consolidate the increase in its monthly tonnage. In addition, the launch of a Vatry-Milan service at the start of November, operated twice-weekly by Alitalia Cargo and the activities of young airline Ceiba Cargo, serving Equatorial Guinea, have played an important role in the rise in traffic. Finally, growth in business by Avient - which introduced a third DC-10 last June - and Aigle Azur has also contributed to November’s good results.

As for the number of aircraft movements recorded at Vatry - including A380 training and general aviation - these show an increase of 30% on the same period last year.

Located 150 kms from Paris and offering 24-hour opening, 7 days week, Paris-Vatry Airport is a dedicated cargo and logistics hub run by a private company, S.E.V.E., within the framework of a public service concession signed with the Marne Council.

Outfitting work on the new freight terminal 2 having just been completed, the airport has turned its attention to adding 47,000 sq.m of aircraft parking space. This two-phase project highlights the significant growth in the number of aircraft using the airport and the need to expand parking facilities.

The current parking capacity of 45,000 sq.m will be extended by 20,000 sq.m in the first phase. Work has been underway since the end of August and will be completed at the end of December this year.

Paris-Vatry airport is welcoming more and more traffic, whether it be in the form of all-cargo operations or training flights for pilots from a number of European airlines. The development of the hub’s air transport and logistics activities is piloted by management company, S.E.V.E. within the framework of a public service concession signed with the Marne council.

On June 26, 2007 an A380 successfully tested out airport facilities at Paris-Vatry for the first time. Airbus Industries subsequently drew up a 3-month scheduled training programme, running until September 25, which designated Paris-Vatry Airport as an official venue for Airbus training sessions but also for airlines which are set to acquire the Super-Jumbo.

Designed to put crews through their paces, the training programme makes provision for 3 different routes into Paris-Vatry airport and which on certain dates can each be operated during the same day. The programme was stepped up further on August 29 when an A380 decked out in Airbus livery carried out training exercises over a two-hour period which included landings in zero visibility using the airport’s ILS CAT.lll system.

Equipped with a runway measuring 3,860 metres long and 60 metres wide, Paris-Vatry Airport ranks among the major European airports already capable of accommodating the A380. Thanks to its remarkable, strategic location, first-class airport infrastructure and know-how in handling training flights, Paris-Vatry Airport is likely to be chosen once again in the near future to host Airbus test flights and also the training exercises of airlines who will soon be acquiring the aircraft. In the longer term, the cargo version of the A380 may well be seen on the runway at Paris-Vatry Airport too.

 

The biggest civil aircraft ever built landed for the first time at Paris-Vatry Airport on Tuesday, 26 June 2007. Its brief appearance followed discussions between the S.E.V.E., which manages Paris-Vatry airport and Airbus aimed at welcoming the aircraft on a regular basis in the future within the framework of training exercises.

Arriving at around 10h 30 from Paris Le Bourget airport en route to Lyon Saint-Exupéry, the aircraft carried out a vertical manoeuvre over the airport buildings before reaching the threshold of runway 28 where it made an extremely quiet landing. From the runway, the aircraft moved along the taxiway to its point of arrival, picked up the throttle and set off for the Lyon region.

Equipped with a runway measuring 3,860 metres long and 60 metres wide, Paris-Vatry Airport ranks among the major European airports already capable of accommodating the A380. Thanks to its remarkable, strategic location, first-class airport infrastructure and know-how in handling training flights, Paris-Vatry Airport is likely to be chosen once again in the near future to host Airbus test flights and also the training exercises of airlines who will soon be acquiring the aircraft. In the longer term, the cargo version of the A380 may well be seen on the runway at Paris-Vatry Airport too.

 

Truly gigantic in size - length: 84.04 metres, wingspan: 88.4 metres, height: 18.10 metres, maximum take-off weight: 600 tonnes, loading capacity: 250 tonnes – the ANTONOV 225, the world’s biggest cargo plane, the ANTONOV 225 can’t land at just any airport.

Requiring a runway measuring between 3,000 metres and 3,500 metres in length, depending on the payload, the AN 225 has landed at Paris-Vatry Airport late afternoon on Friday, March 16 and will depart on Saturday, March 17, also late afternoon.

It is worth noting that this will mark the first time that a French airport has been chosen to carry out the loading of what is the Antonov Design Bureau’s sole model of this aircraft type. However, the AN 225 is no stranger to Vatry having already landed at the all-cargo hub on 25 March, 2003 for a technical stop en route to the United States.

Built at the end of the 1980s to transport the Soviet space shuttle, Buran, the aircraft has since been converted into a super heavylift carrier, called into service when the volumes to be transported exceed the capacity of the “smaller” AN 124. It therefore fits the bill for the 177-tonne industrial load (made up of four individual shipments each weighing a little more than 44 tonnes !) entrusted to Airnautic France and Saga (SDV Group) which will leave Paris-Vatry for Ras Al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates, via Cairo.

For this charter operation, Paris-Vatry Airport can count on the professionalism of two major players in the French airfreight sector: Air Nautic France – one of the main specialists in all-cargo charters (the company organized more than 350 charter flights from France and also from abroad in 2006 alone) and which regularly charters outsize aircraft – and Saga (part of the SDV Group – leading shipper on the French market and ranked 5th in Europe) and considered to be among the most dynamic logistics services integrators and freight transport forwarders in its sector of activity.

Paris-Vatry Airport is equipped with a 3,860 metre-long runway and is one of only a few French airports able to accommodate aircraft the size of the AN225. Thanks to a prime strategic location, a first-class airport infrastructure and a savoir-faire in meeting the specific requirements related to the handling of cargo flights, Paris-Vatry Airport today stands as the freight solution in France and Europe.

A weekly service operated by French airline, Aigle Azur, has been launched from Vatry to Hassi Messaoud. Every Friday, since February 2, close to 15 tonnes of equipment and industrial goods are shipped to Algeria in crates or as bulk aboard a charted Antonov 12.

Set up in 1946, Aigle Azur was the first privately-owned airline in the post-war era. Owned by GoFast since 2001, the airline has its HQ at Tremblay-en-France. It operates scheduled flights between major French cities and Algeria as well charter flights to the majority of European cities.

GoFast, a forwarder based near Roissy, specialises in the transport of turnkey project freight. Enjoying strong growth in its business, the company is currently one of France’s most dynamic companies according to an annual survey conducted by Le Figaro and Coface.Scrl. Its success is largely due to the determination and creative skill of its President and CEO, Arezki Idjerouidene, who has a passion for aeronautics. The acquisition of Aigle Azur marked a broadening in GoFast’s activities to include passenger services to North Africa and Portugal.

Dedicated to all-cargo air transport and open 24/7, Vatry International Airport is occupying an increasingly prominent position in the sector not only at European level but also on the wider international front. In welcoming Aigle Azur’s weekly service to Algeria, Vatry underlines its presence in a number of markets including those situated to the south of Europe.

Global air cargo traffic handled at Paris-Vatry Airport in 2006 remained stable on 2005 levels at close to 38,000 tonnes. However, freight carried on scheduled services increased by 12.3%, moving from 29,400 tonnes in 2005 to 33,000 tonnes last year.

This was in large part due to the rise in perishable foodstuffs traffic (fruit, vegetables and fish)  transported by Avient. In order to cope with increasing volumes of business, the cargo airline, which set up its European hub at Vatry three years ago, acquired a second DC10-30F. Flying under Avient’s colours since September 2006, it works in tandem with the first DC10, bolstering an already buoyant operation. In addition to the regular freight handled on a daily basis, there is growing traffic in cut flower imports from East Africa.

In response to the growth in its activities, Paris-Vatry Airport is building a second cargo terminal with a surface area of  8,100 sq.m which will raise freight handling capacity at the hub to more than 120,000 tonnes annually. The terminal is scheduled for completion during the first half of 2007.

On the logistics side, Vatry has sealed two land sale deals totalling 12.83 hectares. The Châlons-en-Champagne Chamber of Commerce and Industry is behind a project to build a training school dedicated to logistics and airport services trades while the second deal concerns WAL MART subsidiary, Gazeley, a property developer specialising in logistics facilities.     

Located 150 kms east of Paris, Paris-Vatry Airport is operated by private management company, S.E.V.E., within the framework of a public service concession signed with the Marne council.