Charles de Gaulle International Airport
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Charles de Gaulle International Airport (
French:
L'aéroport de Roissy-Charles de Gaulle), also known as
Roissy Airport, serving
Paris, is one of
Europe's principal aviation centers. It is also
France's main international
airport. It is named after
Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), a French general and statesman.
The airport has the
IATA Airport Code CDG. It has the
ICAO Airport Code LFPG. The airport is near
Roissy, to the north-east of Paris.
CDG is connected to the
RER commuter rail network, and the
high-speed rail TGV network providing service into downtown Paris three or four times per hour.
SNCF French Rail operates rail service to several French stations from CDG, including Angers Rail Station in
Angers, TGV Rail Station in
Avignon, Gare de Bordeaux in
Bordeaux, Le Mans Rail Station in
Le Mans, Lille Rail Station in
Lille, Lyon Rail Station in
Lyon, Marseille Rail Station in
Marseille, France, Montpellier Rail Station in
Montpellier, Nantes Rail Station in
Nantes, Nimes Rail Station in
Nimes, France, Poitiers Rail Station in
Poitiers, Rennes Rail Station in
Rennes, Toulouse Rail Station in
Toulouse, Tours Rail Station in
Tours, and Valence Rail Station in
Valence.
Also codeshared is
Thalys International's service to
Brussels's Midi Station.
The other important airport in the Paris area is
Orly Airport.
History
\nAfter seven years of planning and construction, CDG began service on March 8, 1974. Terminal one was built to an avant-garde design consisting of a ten-floor high circular building surrounded by seven satellite buildings each with four gates. The main architect was Paul Andreu, who was also in charge of the extensions during the following decades.
In 1975, a DC-10 of Turkish Airlines crashed immediately after take off from Charles de Gaulle, killing all its passengers.
On 26 August 1988, one Merhan Karimi Nasseri found himself held at Charles de Gaulle airport by immigration. He claimed he was a refugee, but had had his refugee papers stolen. After years of bureaucratic wrangling, it was concluded that Nasseri had entered the airport legally and could not be expelled from its walls; but since he had no papers, there was no country to deport him to either, leaving him in residential limbo. Nasseri has continued to live within the confines of the airport to this day, even though French authorities have since made it possible for him to leave if he so chooses.
On 19 September 1989, UTA Flight 772 exploded over the Sahara Desert while on the second leg of the Brazzaville-Ndjamena-Paris route, killing all on board.
On 24 December, 1994, Air France Flight 8969 was hijacked shortly after it took off from Algiers to Paris. It was flown to Marseille, where hijackers wanted it to be refuelled in order to run it into the Eiffel Tower. French commandos intervened and shot all four hijackers dead.
On 17 July, 1996, TWA Flight 800, which was bound for Charles de Gaulle International Airport from John F. Kennedy International Airport in Jamaica, Queens, New York, New York, exploded near Long Island.
On 25 July 2000, an Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde bound from Charles de Gaulle Airport for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City crashed in nearby Gonesse after coming in contact with material that had been left by another plane on the runway. The Concorde was on a German charter flight for a tour company. Everyone on board died, as did four people on the ground. This was the only time a Concorde had crashed.
On 22 December, 2001, an Al-Qaida terrorist named Richard Reid tried to ignite explosives hidden in his shoes onboard American Airlines Flight 63, which was headed from Charles de Gaulle to Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida. He was subdued after a passenger smelled sulfur.
On 23 May, 2004, a portion of Terminal 2E's ceiling collapsed early in the day, near Gate E50, killing four people [1]. Terminal 2E had been inaugurated in 2003 after some delays in construction.
Before this accident, the Aeroports de Paris has been planning for a public stock offering in 2005 with the new terminal as a major attraction for investors. The partial collapse and indefinite closing of the terminal just before the beginning of summer could seriously hurt the airport's business plan.
Terminals
\nCharles de Gaulle International Airport has three terminals. Terminal 2 was built for Air France, but now hosts other airlines as well. The third terminal (T3, formerly T9) hosts charter airlines.
Terminal 2, the newest, has its own RER and TGV station underneath. Passengers may reach trains going to Paris or to other French and foreign cities by going through passages and moving walkways.
The RER station for Terminal 1 must, in fact, be reached using a free shuttle bus.
Airlines
Terminal 1
\n* Aer Lingus\n* Aerolineas Argentinas\n* Air Austral\n* Air China\n* Air Europa\n* Air France\n* Air Gabon\n* Air Malta\n* Air Moldova\n* All Nippon Airways\n* Air Plus Comet\n* Air Vallee\n* Air Zena\n* Ambassade Croatie\n* Antonov Design Bureau\n* Armenian International Airways\n* Azal Azerbaijan\n* BmiBaby\n* British Airways\n* British Airways Citiexpress\n* British Midland\n* Cmdt du Transport Aerien Mil. Francais\n* Cubana\n* Cyprus Airways\n* Divers Prives\n* Egyptair\n* El Al\n* Emirates\n* European Air Transport\n* Eurowings\n* EVA Air\n* Gulf Air\n* Hellas Jet\n* Iberia\n* Iberworld\n* Icelandair\n* Israir\n* Kuwait Airways\n* Lithuanian Airlines\n* Lufthansa\n* Malaysia Airlines\n* Northwest Airlines\n* Olympic Airways\n* Pakistan International Airlines\n* Pulkovo Aviation\n* Qatar Airways\n* Royal Air Maroc\n* Saudi Arabian Airlines\n* Scandinavian Airlines System\n* Singapore Airlines\n* South African Airways\n* Srilankan\n* Star Airlines\n* TACV Cabo Verde\n* Thai Airways International\n* Ukraine International\n* United Airlines\n* US Airways\n* Uzbekistan Airways\n* Varig\n* Yemenia
Terminal 2
\n* Hall A\n** Adria\n** Air Canada\n** Air France\n** Air India\n** Air Madagascar\n** Air Mauritius\n** Air Seychelles\n** Air Tahiti Nui\n** American Airlines\n** Cameroon Airlines\n** Cathay Pacific\n** China Eastern\n** Continental Airlines\n** Korean Air\n** TAAG Angola\n** Vietnam Airlines\n* Hall B\n** Aeroflot\n** Air Algerie\n** Air France\n** Belavia\n** Bulgaria Air Ead\n** Croatia Airlines\n** CSA Czech Airlines\n** Estonian Air\n** Jat Airways\n** LOT Polish\n** MALEV Hungarian\n** Royal Air Maroc\n** Swiss International Airlines\n** TAROM\n** Tunisair\n* Hall C\n** Aeromexico\n** Air France\n** Delta Air Lines\n** Korean Air\n* Hall D\n** Air France\n** Alitalia\n** Austrian Airlines\n** Eurofly\n** Finnair\n** Flybe\n** Gandalf Airlines\n** Luxair\n** Maersk Air\n** SN Brussels\n* Hall E\n** AeroMexico
\n** Air France
\n** Alitalia
\n** CSA Czech Airlines
\n** Delta Airlines
\n** Korean Air
Notice:
Part of Terminal 2E collapsed on 23 May 2004 at 7:00 AM local Paris time, causing 4 deaths and 3 injuries.
All T2E flights are moved to other terminals, causing severe delays due to congestion. Terminal 2E will be closed until further notice.\n* Hall F\n** Air France\n** Alitalia\n** British European\n** Iberia\n** Japan Airlines\n** KLM\n** Middle East Airlines Liban (MEA)\n** TAM Airlines
Terminal 3 (T9)
\n* Aegean Cronus\n* Aeris\n* Afriqiyah Airways\n* Aigle Azur\n* Air Atlanta\n* Air Holland\n* Air Jet\n* Air Littoral\n* Air Mauritanie\n* Air Mediterannee\n* Air One\n* Air Plus Comet\n* Air Senegal International\n* Air Togo\n* Air Transat\n* Air Vallee\n* Alisea Airlines\n* AMC Aviation\n* Arkia\n* Axis Airways\n* Azzurra\n* Blue Line\n* Brittania\n* Bulgarian Air Charter\n* Corsair\n* Easyjet\n* Eagle Aviation\n* Euralair Horizons\n* Eurocypria\n* Eurofly\n* European Aviation Air Charter\n* Futura\n* Flash Airlines\n* Flightline\n* Fly Air Havayolarri\n* Freebird Airlines\n* Gambia International Airlines\n* Germanwings\n* Hamburg International\n* Hola Airlines\n* Iberworld\n* Icelandair\n* Intersky Luftfahrt\n* Karthago Airlines\n* KLM Exel\n* Lotus Air\n* LTE International\n* Luxor Air\n* Meridiana\n* Mondair\n* Montenegro Airlines\n* Nordic Airlink\n* Nouvelair Tunisie\n* Onur Air\n* Pegasus Airlines\n* Portugalia\n* Regional Compagnie Aerienne Europeenne (Regional)\n* Royal Air Maroc\n* Shorouk Air\n* SkyEurope\n* Spanair\n* Star Airlines\n* STA Trans African\n* Transavia\n* Travel Service Airlines\n* Travel Service Hungary\n* Tunisair\n* Turkish Airlines\n* Tyrolean\n* VIA Airlines\n* Viking Airlines\n* VLM Airlines\n* Volare Airlines\n* West African
See also: Transportation in France, List of French Airports
External links
\n* Aéroports de Paris French language website\n* Structurae: Charles de Gaulle Airport
Category:Airports of France
