Last month’s opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris was controversial in the aviation world. In March of this year, France’s Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, announced that there would be an airspace closure of about 93 miles for a period of almost seven hours. Eight airports were affected; Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (France’s biggest airport), Orly, Le Bourget, Beauvais-Tille Airport, Paris-Saclay-Versailles Airport, Melun Villaroche Airport, Pontoise Cormeilles Airport, and Lognes-Émerainville Aerodrome.
As a result of the closures, airlines had to shift their schedules accordingly, leading to many flight cancelations. According to flightradar24 , July 26 had 300 fewer flights than July 19, just at Charles de Gaulle. Speaking on the busy summer at Paris Airports, Augustin de Romanet, chairman and CEO of Groupe ADP, said, “It is in our airports that the Games will begin and will end for many: everyone will make their first and last memories there.
This is a magnificent challenge for the entire airport community and for our territories, and a unique opportunity to demonstrate our know-how and commitment to hospitality. Groupe ADP with all its employees, will be there to make Paris 2024 an unforgettable collective success." The plan The flight restriction on the day of the opening ceremony was implemented in three phases.
The first phase was shutting down all arrivals to all the airports above, which took place at 15:30 UTC. Thirty minut.