2024-04-21 15:54:05
While Carole Airport can no longer grow, Lille Airport is working hard to attract Belgian travelers and double its number within five years.
For many Belgians, this is not obvious. But at Lille-Lesquin Airport we are convinced, once the Belgians have tested their airport, they will no longer hear of the others.
“We are aware of the competition in our territory, but we have a real advantage with great ease of access. From the car park to departure, only 500 meters separate you, points out Magali Huchette, general manager of Lille Airport.
An even more striking contrast when we know mobility problems in and around the Belgian capital for travelers going to the airport by car.
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With obvious closeness, the border airport already has 15% Belgian customers. A ratio which the airport believes it can maintain, or even increase in the future towards 20%, while the growth ambitions are high. The airport transported 1.9 million people in 2023 and wants to increase to 3.6 million by 2039.
“The success of Charleroi airport is primarily political. It receives 30 million per year in subsidies, which represents 6 euros per passenger, it is huge.”
To achieve this, Lille plans d’invest around one hundred million euros, especially in buildings, while the track still has a very large capacity.
No more Air France
Today, since the departure of Air France, the first company from Lille airport, it has‘East Easyjet with 35% of the flights, then Volotea with 25% of the flights, Ryanair and Tui each have around 10% of the flights. The destinations are mainly distributed between domestic destinations, Southern Europe and the Maghreb. Low price accounts for 78% of Lille’s business.
So many destinations where Lille is also looking towards Belgian customers, which they would like to attract more of. “We want to go from 250/300,000 Belgians per year today to 500,000 within 5 years, let’s be ambitious,” says Pierre Fernemont, Commercial Director of Lille Airport.
This Belgian is a former employee of Charleroi Airport and knows a lot regarding the financial model of Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA). “The success of Charleroi airport is primarily political. It receives 30 million per year in subsidies, which represents 6 euros per passenger, it is huge,” breathes Fernemont.
Not at pre-covid levels yet
The model is not at all the same in Lille, where operations are entrusted via a public service concession issued by Hauts-de-France. It’s Eiffage
, with a view to diversification, which won the contract in 2019 to start in 2020.
“We had two very good months, then covid hit,” we remember in Lille. Air France, which Eiffage thought it would keep until 2039, has departed. A death toll of 500,000 travelers per year, which partly explains why Lille Airport has yet to return to pre-covid levels, while an airport like Charleroi is already well above.
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BSCA counts 9.4 million passengers in 2023compared to 8.2 million in 2019, the last full year before the effects of the pandemic on travel.
Mipim and other homes
Tackle more face to face juicy Belgian market is in this context all the more important for Lille Airport.
Easyjet still offers many destinations for the South of France. “When Mipim (International Market for Real Estate Professionals) takes place in Nicethe car park is full of Belgian license plates and cars from Flanders“, we are told at the airport.
All these Belgians who have another residence in the south are also targeted. In terms of travel time, travelers from the two Belgian Flanders arrive in Lille much faster than in Zaventem or Charleroi.
“Belgians who discover the airport say to themselves: ‘but it’s so easy here!'”
But Lille needs make yourself better known in Belgium. The airport especially plays the card of tour operators as local relays, especially on more punctual trips.
“Belgians discovering the airport say to themselves: ‘but it’s so easy here!’. So much so that some tour operators tell us that travelers then demand to leave Lille“, explains Huchette.
A parking story
At airports, parking spaces generally represent one of the most important sources of income. But Lille Airport has decided to fully compete with cheaper parking prices than those required at our airports. “We are very careful to ensure that parking remains cheaper than the competition”insists Magali Huchette.
“Charleroi is a war machine with Ryanair.”
But travelers are not the only ones to convince. It is necessary convince the airlines to offer new destinations. “We had to fight for years to get Alicante The first reservations are excellent,” emphasizes Fernemont. Flight occupancy rates above 90% are generally a must for low-cost airlines.
“We know the 10 most profitable destinations at Charleroi Airport,” adds the commercial director, who admits that he operates in “one of the most competitive areas in Europe”.
“Charleroi is a war machine with Ryanair. When we base a plane, it represents more or less 300,000 more passengers per year, and they base two new ones at the same time, explains Fernemont.
500,000
Belgians within 5 years
Lille-Lesquin Airport aims to increase from 250/300,000 Belgians per year today to 500,000 within 5 years.
Connections
Lille Airport is not connected to the French rail network. It is therefore necessary to take a shuttle bus from the TGV station to reach it. For the CEO, this is not really a problem. “We have a population that uses the car a lot,” she says.
THE public transport in connection with a bus shuttle do the rest. Also more distant Flixbus buses serve certain Belgian cities such as Bruges.
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Since the departure of Air France, the leading company at Lille airport is Easyjet with 35% of flights, followed by Volotea with 25% of flights; Ryanair and Tui each have around 10% of the flights.
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Business passengers are down, to 20% compared to 30% previously in Lille. Hauts-de-France region experiencing some economic growth, esp the center around the production of electric cars. “The need for business, for the local economic center, is important, it is set to remain,” emphasizes the CEO.
A series of them went to Nantes, but are no longer served today. For the rest, other destinations are more than four hours by TGV avoids in passing the debate regarding shot put. Also crucial for the development of an airport today.
Four questions for Magali Huchette, Director General of Lille Airport
How is business going?
It is up to Eiffage to comment on the detailed figures. But we can say that 2023 traffic reached 85% of 2019 traffic. There is also a profound change in the typology of flights with the departure of Air France in particular.
Lille has one multi-airline model and intends to keep it. I would like to point out that it is an unsubsidized airport with a public service delegation and which is self-financing.
To be able to have aircraft based (overnight, editor’s note) in Lille, is that also your goal?
The great interest is that this generates jobs locally. Historically, Air France based several aircraft at Lille airport. A new base arriving generates jobs and is therefore generally very good news.
Do you have a card to play once morest Belgian airports on this point?
Each airport has its capacity limit. At some airports there is the capacity to park aircraft. In others, there is the possibility of landing them. We, our limiting capacity is on the building which is from ’96 and which needs to be reviewed.
We have one financing capacity of 100 million in particular to separate arrival and departure flows, expand boarding areas, provide needs adapted to shops and set up a multimodal apron.
Will your growth come from winning over other airports?
We are located in an area of 6 million people. 8 million in a catchment area of two hours by car for 12 million annual journeys which are distributed among the various airports. Lille has its card to play in this distribution.
The summary
- Small airport would like total 500,000 Belgian travelers within 5 years once morest 250/300,000 today.
- It highlights it is easily accessible by carits stress-free experience and its cheaper parking.
- Important arguments in these times of problems on the roads, especially towards Zaventem.
- Became more focused on low costs since Air France’s departure, it has had to compete with the “war machine Ryanair in Charleroi”.
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