When the global financial crisis took much of the fizz out of the champagne lifestyle in France’s millionaire’s playground along the Côte-d’Azur it was not surprising that the main private aviation airports there took a big hit in terms of traffic levels. But now the recovery is in full swing, according to the management of the region’s main business aviation gateways Niceand Cannes-Mandelieu.
Last year traffic at these two airports, owned collectively by the local chamber of commerce, jumped an average of 9.3 percent to revert to its pre-crisis level of activity. Nice, which accommodates aircraft weighing more than 22 metric tons (48,500 pounds), accounts for 73 percent of business aviation traffic. It recorded growth of 11.7 percent to reach 31,067 movements last year. Cannes, which cannot accept aircraft in the 22-ton-and-above bracket, showed growth of 3.1 percent to 10,950 movements–illustrating the widely held perception that times have been harder for operators of smaller aircraft in the recent downturn.
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