FEATURE LILLE The main departures and arrivals hall. (Denis Paillard/Aeroport de Lille) Destinations Agadir Ajaccio Algiers Antalya Barcelona Bastia Biarritz Bodrum Bordeaux Calvi Catania Clermont-Ferrand Corfu Djerba Dubrovnik Faro Fes Figari Fuerteventura Geneva Heraklion Izmir Kos Lyon Malaga Marrakech Marseille Monastir Montpelier Nantes Nice Olbia Oran Oujda Palermo Palma de Mallorca Perpignan Porto Rhodes Split Strasbourg Tenerife Toulouse Tunis Venice Bar Jardins Pamplemousse is in the departures and arrivals hall and is particularly popular. (All photos author unless stated) 40 airports of the world
FEATURE LILLE commercial rights in 1953. The next ten years saw steady passenger growth which led to the construction of a new terminal during the 1960s. Traffic was typically business passengers flying mostly with Air France and Air Inter to domestic destinations. The world’s first Novotel opened near the airport in 1967, catering primarily for LIL travellers. Steady growth continued through the 1970s and was sufficient to inspire the birth of a locally-based carrier – Flandre Air. It began with a fleet of Beech 1900s, serving mainly small domestic destinations. The same decade a dedicated cargo terminal opened and the airport was also used as a testing facility for the Anglo-French Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde. During the 1980s regular services were complimented by an increasing number of seasonal long-haul flights to the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, as well as scheduled links to New York (1985). The airport’s fortunes changed in 1994 after the opening of the Channel Tunnel and the associated high-speed rail station providing links to Brussels, London and Paris. The fast rail links were stiff competition for the airlines and many domestic routes were dropped, including the previously busy one to Paris/Orly. The airport operator, Socièté de gestion de l’aéroport de la région de Lille (SOGAREL), responded and invested heavily in facilities and opened a new terminal in 1996. There was also a shift away from serving business travellers to a more leisure-focused market, particularly holiday charters. Over time this has paid off and in 2013 LIL registered record passenger numbers of 1,661,741. Today’s airport Lille Airport occupies 1,112 acres (450ha) and is bordered by five municipalities: Lesquin, Fretin, Avelin, Templemars and Vendeville, all part of the Lille metropolitan area. The distinctive 96,878sq ft (9,000m 2 ) terminal was designed by French firm Denis Sloan and can handle 2mppa. Departures and arrivals share the same level which creates a rather ‘cosy’ atmosphere, despite the vast amounts of glass used to provide a sense of openness. The structure was refurbished in 2010 and is populated with several shops, a cafe, restaurant (with views across the airfield), car rental desks and an information point. Airside there is a duty free outlet but refreshments are limited to vending machines. There are four airbridges, supplemented by 11 further aircraft stands accessed by foot. Other remote stands are served by a fleet of buses. Within the terminal are the SOGAREL offices and a conference centre which is available to rent for meetings and seminars. Road access is excellent as LIL is close to the A1 motorway to Paris and also has good connections to Belgium and regional cities such as Valencienes and Dunkirk. Because of this, 57% of passengers arrive by car and there are five large car parks with spaces for around 3,700 vehicles. An hourly bus shuttle to the city’s Lille Flandres and Lille Europe (high-speed) railway stations takes about 20 minutes. Infrastructure There are two runways, 08/26 is 9,333ft (2,845m) long and is used for most traffic, while 02/20 measures 5,249ft (1,600m). The main runway is CAT III and capable of handling aircraft up to the size of the Antonov An-124 and the Airbus A380 – LIL is a diversion facility for Paris/Charles de Gaulle. Runway 08/26 has six exits linked to a parallel taxiway and is crossed by 02/20 at its western end. Most General Aviation traffic uses the shorter runway, winds permitting, and, if necessary, it can also be used by smaller passenger aircraft, such as Embraer and Bombardier regional jets. The airport’s fire and rescue station and the Shell Aviation fuel supply depot, the airport's sole provider, are near the eastern end of runway 08/26. In addition to its regular infrastructure, the airport An Air Algerie Airbus A330 arrives from Algiers, as viewed from the Your’s restaurant. A shuttle bus to the city’s two railway stations prepares to leave from the terminal. Low-cost carriers, such as easyJet, have helped to boost passenger numbers. The main apron can be particularly busy during the summer months. (Laurent Ghesquiere/ Aeroport de Lille) Airlines Aigle Azur Air Algerie Air France easyJet Hop! Jetairfly Nouvelair Tunisie Pegasus Airlines Ryanair Tailwind Airlines Thomas Cook Airlines (Belgium) Transavia.com (France) Tunisair Volotea Vueling Enthusiast Spot Lille Airport’s panoramic restaurant Your’s is usually open between 11:00 and the time of the last departure and provides excellent views across the terminal apron and Runway 08/26. It is accessed via the departures/ arrivals hall level. Photographers should note the glass is tinted. Another vantage point is on the elevated access road beside the terminal. Off airport, there are various places to either observe or photograph aircraft around the perimeter and these can be reached via the D145 road. www.airportsworld.com 41
Change language