Paris–Le Bourget Airport (french: link=no, Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget) is an airport located within portions of the communes of

Le Bourget Le Bourget () is a Communes of France, commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero#France, center of Paris. The commune features Paris - Le Bourget Airport, Le Bourget Airport, which in turn hos ...

, Bonneuil-en-France,

Dugny Dugny () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. About a third of Le Bourget airport lies on the territory of the commune of Dugny, including its main terminal and the '' Musée de l'A ...

and

Gonesse Gonesse () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department, in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The commune lies immediately north of Le Bourget Airport, and it is six kilometres (four miles) south- ...

, north-northeast of Paris, France. Once Paris's principal airport, it is now used only for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

, including business jet operations. It also hosts

air show An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air show m ...

s, most notably the

Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the French ...

. The airport is operated by

Groupe ADP Groupe ADP, formerly Aéroports de Paris or ADP (''Paris Airports''), is an international airport operator based in Paris (France). Groupe ADP owns and manages Parisian international airports Charles de Gaulle Airport, Orly Airport and Le Bourge ...

under the brand

Paris Aéroport Aéroports de Paris S.A., doing business as Paris Aéroport and formerly as Aéroports de Paris or ADP, is the brand owned by Groupe ADP that applies to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris Orly Airport, and Paris Le Bourget Airport. It is headq ...

History

The airport started commercial operations in 1919 and was Paris's only airport until the construction of

Orly Airport Paris Orly Airport (french: Aéroport de Paris-Orly), commonly referred to as Orly , is one of two international airports serving the French capital, Paris, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly an ...

in 1932. It is famous as the landing site for

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

's historic solo

transatlantic Transatlantic, Trans-Atlantic or TransAtlantic may refer to: Film * Transatlantic Pictures, a film production company from 1948 to 1950 * Transatlantic Enterprises, an American production company in the late 1970s * ''Transatlantic'' (1931 film), ...

crossing in 1927 in the ''

Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlant ...

'', and had been the departure point two weeks earlier for the French biplane ''

L'Oiseau Blanc ''L'Oiseau Blanc'' (English: ''The White Bird'') was a French Levasseur PL.8 biplane that disappeared in 1927 during an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight between Paris and New York City to compete for the Orteig Prize. ...

(The White Bird)'', which took off in an attempt at a transatlantic flight, but then mysteriously disappeared.Godspeed, Charles and Francois
"The Secret of The White Bird."
''aero-news.net,'' 9 May 2006. Retrieved: 16 January 2009.

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...

flew the second nonstop flight from New York to Paris in 1939, landing at Le Bourget and thereafter continuing onward to Moscow. On 25 June 1940,

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

began his first and only tour of Paris, with

Albert Speer Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer (; ; 19 March 1905 – 1 September 1981) was a German architect who served as the Minister of Armaments and War Production in Nazi Germany during most of World War II. A close ally of Adolf Hitler, he ...

and an entourage, from Le Bourget Airport. Due to capacity constraints at Le Bourget,

Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global air ...

transferred all of its operations to Orly in 1952. The

was first held at Le Bourget in 1953, having previously been held at the

Grand Palais The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées ( en, Great Palace of the Elysian Fields), commonly known as the Grand Palais (English: Great Palace), is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arro ...

prior to World War II, and at Orly after the war. The first jet-powered transcontinental flight, which was a

Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first flew on December 20, ...

operated by

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

, occurred from

Idlewild Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the New ...

, New York, to Le Bourget, on October 26, 1958, with a fuel stop in

Gander, Newfoundland Gander is a town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately south of Gander Bay, south of Twillingate and east of Grand Falls-Windsor. Located on the nor ...

. On 16 June 1961, the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

ballet dancer

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...

defected at Le Bourget Airport. In 1977, Le Bourget was closed to international airline traffic and in 1980 to regional airline traffic, but continues 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. The airport hosts a statue commemorating Frenchwoman

Raymonde de Laroche Raymonde de Laroche (22 August 1882 – 18 July 1919) was a French pilot, thought to be the first woman to pilot a plane. She became the world's first licensed female pilot on 8 March 1910. She received the 36th aeroplane pilot's licence issue ...

who was the first woman to earn a pilot's licence. There is also a monument honouring Lindbergh, as well as Nungesser and Coli, pilots of ''The White Bird''. On 14 April 2016, the

rolled out the ''Connect 2020'' corporate strategy and the commercial brand

was applied to all Parisian airports, including Le Bourget airport. Le Bourget has been called "The Teterboro of Europe" because of role it plays in accepting all the business aviation flying into Paris, and the support base.

Facilities

The

Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile The Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA, ) is an agency of the French government, responsible for investigating aviation accidents and incidents and making safety recommendations based on what is learned from those inve ...

(BEA) is headquartered in Building 153 on the grounds of Le Bourget Airport and in

. Le Bourget Airport hosts the Musée de l’air et de l’espace, which is also located in the commune of Le Bourget.

Statistics

Accidents and incidents

Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière ''Vizeadmiral'' Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière (; March 18, 1886 – February 24, 1941), born in Posen, Prussia, and of French-German descent, was a German U-boat commander during World War I. With 194 ships and sunk, he is the most successfu ...

was killed in 1941 when his plane crashed on takeoff near Le Bourget Airport. *On 29 August 1948, SNCASE Languedoc P/7 F-BATG of

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 Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...

, London. *On 3 June 1973 a supersonic

Tupolev Tu-144 The Tupolev Tu-144 (russian: Tyполев Ту-144; NATO reporting name: Charger) is a Soviet supersonic passenger airliner designed by Tupolev in operation from 1968 to 1999. The Tu-144 was the world's first commercial supersonic transport ai ...

crashed during an aerial display at the Paris Air Show, in an incident known as the

1973 Paris Air Show crash The 1973 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crash was the destruction of the second production Tupolev Tu-144 at Goussainville, Val-d'Oise, France, which killed all six crew members and eight people on the The crash, at the Paris Air Show on Sunday, 3 June ...

. *On 20 January 1995, a Dassault Falcon 20E operating as Leadair Unijet Flight 001N crashed after takeoff due to an uncontained engine failure caused by a birdstrike. *On 25 July 2000,

Air France Flight 4590 On 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde passenger jet on an international charter flight from Paris to New York, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground. It was the only fatal Concorde a ...

attempted to divert to Le Bourget before it crashed shortly after takeoff from

Charles de Gaulle Airport Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (french: Aéroport de Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, ), also known as Roissy Airport or simply Paris CDG, is the principal airport serving the French capital, Paris ( and its metropolitan area), and the largest intern ...

. *On 13 August 2010 a

Dassault Falcon 50 The Dassault Falcon 50 is a French super-midsize, long-range business jet, featuring a trijet layout with an S-duct air intake for the central engine. It has the same fuselage cross-section and similar capacity as the earlier twin-engined Falcon ...

was damaged beyond repair when its nose gear collapsed during landing. *On 19 November 2010 an Algerian Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules excursed from the runway during landing.

In popular culture

*Le Bourget Airport is the base for the "Paris Airshow Demonstration Flight" mission supplied with ''

Microsoft Flight Simulator X ''Microsoft Flight Simulator X'' (abbreviated as ''FSX'') is a 2006 flight simulation video game originally developed by Aces Game Studio and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to '' Microsoft Flight ...

''. *Le Bourget Airport features in the opening sequence of

The Protectors ''The Protectors'' is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It was Anderson's second TV series to exclusively use live actors as opposed to marionettes (following ''UFO''), and his second to be firmly set in ...

episode ''Your Witness'' *La Bourget features heavily in

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

's 1935 novel, ''

Death in the Clouds ''Death in the Clouds'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company on 10 March 1935 under the title of ''Death in the Air'' and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in ...

''. *The titular aircraft in Airport '79: Concorde had suffered hydraulic failure during the attack by the rogue F-4 Phantom jet and barreled through two arresting barricades, being stopped, just barely, by the third. *Le Bourget Airport appears in dozens of movies (since the 1930s), sometimes as an active airport others as the Air and Space Museum or through their collection of survivors commercial aircraft used as a set. The terminal could be heavily digitally modified ('' Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris''), acting as an airport in East Berlin (''

Enigma (1982 film) ''Enigma'' is a 1982 Anglo-American thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc"Overview: 'Enigma'."
...

'') but sometimes suggested and represented by other platforms (as seen in ''

The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Langdon ...

'' -the real one being

Brighton City Airport Brighton City Airport , also commonly known as Shoreham Airport, is located in the parish of Lancing in West Sussex, England. It has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying i ...

-).

References

External links

Aéroports de Paris
(official site)
Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget
(Union des Aéroports Français)
Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace
(Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace) {{DEFAULTSORT:Paris-Le Bourget Airport Airports in Île-de-France Buildings and structures in Seine-Saint-Denis Airport Bourget World War II airfields in France Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in France Airports established in 1919 Art Deco airports Art Deco architecture in France