Lille airport traces its path between the two major hubs of Paris CDG and Brussels National. The northern platform continues to attract airlines and has seen Volotea recently strengthen its base there with a second aircraft and eight new destinations.
It’s an airport that hardly makes the “buzz” but which showed very respectable growth rates until 2020. Lille Airport, south of the northern metropolis, welcomed nearly 2.2 million in 2019, which placed it in 11th position in France, behind Beauvais airport and ahead of Montpellier.
In 2021, Lille regained 1.17 million passengers – a result similar to its traffic level in 2011. According to airport management, in the first half of the year, passenger traffic continued to pick up. Attendance figures are down just under 25% compared to the reference year of 2019.
“The recovery is sustained as consumer response was immediately following the lifting of health restrictions. We, therefore, expect to find traffic this year between 1.8 and 1.9 million passengers. Or 80% of traffic in 2019”, analyzes a spokesperson for the airport.
Most of Lille’s traffic with Volotea, Easyjet, and TUI Fly
Lille’s potential remains obvious since it encompasses an area of attractiveness estimated at 4 million inhabitants for the Hauts-de-France region and even six million inhabitants if neighboring Belgium is included.
This explains the return or strengthening of the offer of airlines in Lille. Eleven companies serve the airport, the most active of which are Easyjet, TUI Fly, and Volotea. Air France, Air Algérie, Binter Canarias, Ryanair and Transavia also land. In total, some 50 destinations are served this summer. With a rise in power in North Africa. In particular TUI Fly which serves seven cities in Morocco and inaugurated flights to Bejaia and Tlemcen in Algeria on July 6.
As for Volotea, we are witnessing a real rise in power of the low-cost company. Present in Lille since 2012, Volotea has already transported more than one million passengers since its inception. With the parking of a second aircraft since July, Volotea is entering a new dimension in Lille. It offers 24 destinations from its base. On July 11, Volotea launched new routes including services to Athens, Barcelona, Malaga, and Rome – more attractive for business passengers.
There is still traffic potential towards the Mediterranean but also Central Europe and the United Kingdom for point-to-point lines
The company also benefited from the withdrawal of Hop, the regional subsidiary of Air France. Volotea has thus taken over the Hop lines on Nantes, Bordeaux, and Toulouse, putting Airbus A319/A320 aircraft into service. These offer an average capacity of 55% to 80% higher than those of Hop.
Other lines should see the light of day in the near future. “There is still potential for traffic to the Mediterranean but also Central Europe and the United Kingdom for point-to-point lines,” estimates the management of the airport.
Expansion of the terminal in sight
The files on which the airport is working are the improvement of mobility as well as the future expansion of the terminal. Since July 1, the Airport Shuttle, which directly connects the airport to the Lille station district, has doubled its frequency during the day. Departures from the airport and the city center take place every 30 minutes.
Since July 5, reinforcement is also effective on the service of the airport by the line of bus 68, which in particular proposes correspondences with the TER and the Lille metro. The airport management is now working on establishing a direct public transport connection to West Flanders. “We are in discussion for a potential opening in 2023 with Belgium”, indicates the management of the airport.
What the terminal should look like after the construction of a new jetty (Graphic: Lille Airport)
Now remains the terminal expansion site. It is made necessary by congestion during traffic peaks, in particular at screening inspection posts and check-in counters. The terminal inaugurated in 1996 was designed for 1.5 million passengers. The traffic largely exceeded during the last decade until the Covid crisis. But according to projections, Lille could accommodate 2.6 to 3 million passengers around 2027. And more than 3.5 million passengers ten years later.
The project would thus make it possible to increase the area of the terminal from 18,000 m² to 33,400 m². It would provide for a total separation of departure and arrival flows. The construction of a pier with flexible boarding lounges (Schengen or Non-Schengen) and 4 pre-boarding bridges would thus be created. If the building permit is granted at the end of 2023, the new facilities could enter service by 2025/2026.
