By Kevin Rozario (London, United Kingdom)
Aéroport Nantes Atlantique (NTE) has been the subject of intense government focus in recent years due to its fast development and its close vicinity to the city of Nantes in the west of France.
Outgrowing its current base plus noise impacts from increasing traffic have become obvious concerns, and a whole new airport was on the cards at one stage (more on this below).
The gateway (and the very small coastal airport of Saint Nazaire Montoir nearby) is run by AGO (Aéroports du Grand Ouest), a subsidiary of VINCI Airports which manages 45 airports in 12 countries.
According to VINCI, NTE has recorded substantial traffic growth of 91% over the past seven years, which the group claims is “the highest among French regional airports” (please click on graph to enlarge).