The Route Development Group (RDG) has announced that the 5th Routes Europe event will take place in Toulouse on 9-11th May 2010. It will be the first time that Routes Europe has been held in France. Current hosts Prague Airport handed over to Toulouse-Blagnac in a special ceremony to mark the closing of the 2009.
The ceremony, which also celebrated the region’s fine cuisine, featured addresses from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport’s Chairman, Jean-Michel Vernhes and the elected tourism representative, Sonia Ruiz.
The Routes Europe event is seen as an ideal opportunity for airports and their regions to show carriers what they can do and what their regions as a whole can offer. Toulouse is no exception, with the city and its airport functioning effectively as a gateway to the south west of France, the myriad attractions of the Midi-Pyrenees and the strong regional economy based on aerospace, electronics and biotechnology.
2008 was Toulouse-Blagnac Airport company’s first full year of operations after major development work to modernise the facility and equip it with facilities to meet the service, quality, security and safety requirements expected of a European reference airport of tomorrow. Commenting on the news, Toulouse-Blagnac Airport’s chairman, Jean-Michel Vernhes said: “Routes Europe is an integral part of the region’s strategy to grow its economy by attracting more air routes, more people and more revenue and investment. It also ties in with the opening of our new Terminal D which comes into operation in January 2010.”
