History
1929 Commitment to build an airport at Le Bourget du Lac
1934 Under the aegis of Pierre Cot, then Air Minister, local authorities joined forces to build a civil and military aerodrome on the flat ground south of Lake Bourget
1950 - 1953 Savoie Chamber of Commerce and Industry took charge of the running of Chambéry-Aix airport
1954 Construction of the terminal
1960 Start of commercial flights
1964 Government grants Chamber of Commerce first permit (AOT) to operate the airport
1968 Air Alpes starts Chambéry to Lyon-Bron service
1969 Air Alpes launches daily Chambéry to Paris flights, notching up the largest number of passengers per year in 1983 (99,568) before withdrawing the service in 2002
1990/1991 · New larger airport terminal opens, increasing from 960 sq m to 1,920 sq m and subsequently 2,600 sq m · Two additions extend the runway to 2,020 m · Major modernization work on: - The airport terminal, covering 4,700 sq m - Aircraft parking space, covering 35,500 sq m - Free car parking space for 300 vehicles and 20 spaces for coaches - Aircraft hangars covering 2,200 sq m Cost of work: 75m FRF, of which 15m FRF state funding, the rest being paid by Savoie Departmental Council (70%) and the Chamber of Commerce (30%).
1992 Main airport for the Albertville Winter Olympic Games.
1993 Airport terminal: addition of a new arrivals area (about 400 sq m) for charter flights and various other improvements.
1994/2000 Ongoing investments (building work and equipment) to adapt to increasing ski charter traffic.
1996 Proteus Airlines takes over the Chambéry to Paris service, without interruption, after it was dropped by TAT, operating subsequently as part of Air France with Régional Airlines.
1999 Chambéry-Aix airport tops 110,000 passengers annually.
2000 Buzz starts weekly flights from Chambéry to London Stansted.
2001 A Boeing 757 operated by the Dutch company Transavia carrying 220 passengers makes it first landing at Chambéry-Aix airport, setting a new record for commercial aircraft.
2002 New record with 3,600 aircraft movements for the year. In response to growing demand from tour operators in northern Europe and the UK, the national and international embarkation areas were enlarged. Security controls were introduced for all passengers and luggage.
2003 Paris service: economic rationale After a high point of 99,568 passengers in 1983 the regular Chambéry to Paris service went into gradual decline, mainly due to the high speed and lower cost of the TGV fast train service between the centres of Chambéry and Paris. Other factors included the overall drop in air traffic due to the economic climate and the departure of Air France, following its decision to concentrate its operations on the Lyon Saint-Exupéry hub. In April 2003, it being impossible to make a profit on the regular service, it was stopped.
Ryanair took over Buzz and suspended the services it had been operating. At the end of the March the Chambéry to London Stansted service stopped.
In December the low-cost operator Flybe started a new regular service, during the winter months, between Chambéry and Southampton, with three flights a day.
A new Schengen/non-Schengen area was opened to facilitate passenger reception and control.
2004 During the winter the airport topped 10,000 passengers per weekend, or a total of 172,400 for the winter season, with Flybe carrying 7,000 people.
On 1 July the Savoie Departmental Council granted the concession for the operation, management and development of Chambéry-Aix airport to the joint 50-50 partnership formed by VINCI Airports and Kéolis for an initial period of seven years.
This public-private partnership is the second of its kind in France, alongside Grenoble airport. Both are well on the way to setting an example for other regional airports in France.
Substantial alterations were started immediately: extension of the embarkation areas, start of an operational centre, replacement of check-in desks, demolition of part of the footbridge in the airport to save space and improve the quality of customer handling ...
December: due to the success of the previous winter Flybe decided to increase the frequency of weekly flights on the Chambéry to Southampton route, with four round-trips a week. In January a new regular seasonal service will be starting, with Saturday flights between Chambéry and Birmingham.
Resumption of the Chambéry to Brest service, operated by Europe Airpost on behalf of the tour operator Flywest, after an interruption last winter due to Aéris-Westair going into receivership.
2005 30 January a new record is broken, with 12,219 passengers handled in one weekend.
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