Paris–Le Bourget Airport

Paris–Le Bourget Airport Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) A-54
IATA: LBG ICAO: LFPB
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Aéroports de Paris
Location	Le Bourget
Elevation AMSL	220 ft / 67 m
Coordinates	48°58′10″N 002°26′29″E / 48.96944°N 2.44139°E / 48.96944; 2.44139 (Paris - Le Bourget Airport)Coordinates: 48°58′10″N 002°26′29″E / 48.96944°N 2.44139°E / 48.96944; 2.44139 (Paris - Le Bourget Airport)
Map
LBG Location of Paris–Le Bourget Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 03/21 2,665 8,743 Bituminous concrete 07/25 3,000 9,843 Bituminous concrete 09/27 1,845 6,053 Bituminous concrete
Source: French AIP[1] French AIP at EUROCONTROL[2]

Paris–Le Bourget Airport (French: Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget) (IATA: LBG, ICAO: LFPB) is an airport located within portions of the communes of Le Bourget, Bonneuil-en-France, Dugny and Gonesse, 6 NM (11 km; 6.9 mi) north-northeast^[2] (NNE) of Paris, France. Once Paris' principal airport, it is now used only for general aviation including business jet operations. It also hosts air shows, most notably the Paris Air Show.

History

The airport started commercial operations in 1919 and was Paris's only airport until the construction of Orly Airport in 1932. It is famous as the landing site for Charles Lindbergh's historic solo transatlantic crossing in 1927 in the Spirit of St. Louis, and had been the departure point two weeks earlier for the French biplane The White Bird (L'Oiseau blanc), which took off in its own attempt at a transatlantic flight but then mysteriously disappeared.

On 25 June 1940, Adolf Hitler began his first and only tour of Paris, with Albert Speer and an entourage, from Le Bourget Airport.^[3]

On 16 June 1961, the Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defected at Le Bourget Airport.^[4]

In 1977, Le Bourget was closed to international airline traffic and in 1980 to regional airline traffic, but remains serving both domestic and international business aviation. Since 1975, Le Bourget Airport has hosted the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, France's main state-owned aviation museum. Following the discontinuation of regular commercial traffic in 1977, space available to house museum collections and displays has progressively increased.^[5][6]

The airport hosts a statue commemorating Frenchwoman Raymonde de Laroche who was the first woman to earn a pilot's licence. There is also a monument honouring Lindbergh, Nungesser, and Coli.

Facilities

The Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA) is headquartered in Building 153 on the grounds of Le Bourget Airport and in Le Bourget.^[7][8] Le Bourget Airport hosts the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, which is also located in the commune of Le Bourget.^[9]

Accidents and incidents

• On 29 August 1948, SNCASE Languedoc P/7 F-BATG of Air France crashed at Le Bourget.
• On 7 April 1952, SNCASE Languedoc P/7F-BATB of Air France was damaged beyond economic repair when it overran the runway on take-off. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled passenger flight from Le Bourget to Heathrow Airport, London.^[10]
• On 3 June 1973 a supersonic Tupolev Tu-144 crashed during an aerial display at the Paris Air Show, in an incident known as the 1973 Paris Air Show crash.

Trivia

• Le Bourget Airport is the base for the "Paris Airshow Demonstration Flight" mission supplied with Microsoft Flight Simulator X.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Le Bourget Airport.

• Aéroports de Paris (official site) (in English)
• Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget (Union des Aéroports Français) (in French)
• Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace (Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace) (in French)