Aéroport du Grand Ouest
| Aéroport du Grand Ouest | |
|---|---|
| Summary | |
| Airport type | Public |
| Operator | Aéroports du Grand Ouest |
| Serves | Nantes, Loire-Atlantique |
| Location | Notre-Dame-des-Landes, Fay-de-Bretagne, Treillières, Grandchamps-des-Fontaines, Vigneux-de-Bretagne, Loire-Atlantique |
| Coordinates | 47°21′10.8″N 1°43′22.80″W / 47.353000°N 1.7230000°WCoordinates: 47°21′10.8″N 1°43′22.80″W / 47.353000°N 1.7230000°W |
| Website |
www |
The Grand Ouest Airport, or Aéroport du Grand Ouest Project is a planned new airport, to be situated 30 km (20 mi) to the north-west of the French city of Nantes in the commune of Notre-Dame-des-Landes. It is intended that the new airport will replace Nantes Atlantique Airport as the airport for Nantes, but also serve as an international gateway for western France.[1]
The €580 million project was approved in February 2008, with construction expected to start in 2014 and an opening date in 2017.[2] Initially the airport will have a capacity of four million passengers a year, increasing to nine million by 2050. This compares with the current capacity at Nantes Atlantique of three million passengers a year, a capacity that it is claimed cannot be increased because of the proximity of the airport to the city centre (a distance of only 8 km (5 mi)).[1] Opponents claim that Nantes Atlantique can increase its capacity to 4 million passengers a year.[3]
The new airport will have two runways, and will be linked to the French motorway and rail networks.[1]
The airport has been met with strong opposition, notably led by The Greens, Ségolène Royal and Arnaud Montebourg, even though the French Socialist Party supports it. Also various groups have set up numerous protest camps and squats around the area that will be built upon known as the "ZAD" (acronym of "Zone to Defend"), ZAD is inspired by the French sentence "Zone d'aménagement différé".
A consultation is organised 26 June 2016 at the request of the French government. The population of Loire-Atlantique approved the transfer of Nantes Atlantique Airport in the town of Notre-Dame-des-Landes.
Official results (communicated by the prefecture of Loire-Atlantique):[4]
| Votes |
% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favourable towards new airport | 268 981 | 55,17 % | |
| Unfavourable towards new airport | 218 537 | 44,83 % | |
| Votes cast | 487 518 | 100,00 % | |
| Blank vote | 3112 | ||
| Null vote | 2851 | ||
| Voters | 493 481 | 51,08 % | |
| Abstention | 472 535 | 48,92 % | |
| Registered | 966 016 | ||
References
- 1 2 3 "New Notre Dame des Landes Airport, Nantes, France". airport-technology.com. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ↑ "Calendrier Previsionnel". Aeroport Grandouest. Archived from the original on 2010-10-27. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
- ↑ (in French) La nécessité d’un nouvel aéroport prend du plomb dans l’aile - Libération du 18 novembre 2012
- ↑ http://www.loire-atlantique.gouv.fr/Actualites/Resultats-de-la-consultation-Nddl
External links
- (in French) Official site of the Aéroport du Grand Ouest project
- (in French) Official local opponents website
- (in English) (in French) ZAD website