Summary

  • Paris will host the 2024 Summer Olympics, expecting over 11,000 athletes across 32 sports.
  • Increase in private jet travel and business jet activity around Paris due to the Olympics.
  • Charter companies like Victor and VistaJet are seeing a surge in flights to France for the event.

The 2024 Summer Olympics will begin this week, with the opening ceremony on July 26. This year, the Olympics will be held in Paris, France, and the event has been officially branded Paris 2024. This will be the third time that Paris will host the event after hosting the Games in 1900 and 1924.

Paris will be the second city to ever host three Games, following London, which hosted the Games in 1908, 1948, and 2012.

The Summer Olympics, and the Olympics in general, have always been a super popular worldwide event. Fans from across the world have planned to travel to France to watch some of their country’s greatest athletes perform in the spotlight.

This year’s Olympic Games are set to be one of the biggest ever recorded. Nearly 11,000 athletes are set to compete in 329 events over 32 different sports. This year, breakdancing will also be introduced as an Olympic event.

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Tourists are shying away from the City Of Lights this month as travelers typically headed to Paris postpone their trips till after the Games.

With the popularity of this year’s game increasing so much, fans are expected to travel to represent their country. This means that Paris will most likely see a large influx of air travel through its major airports.

Specifically, private aviation is expected to become a very popular form of travel for Olympic Games attendees. Let’s take a closer look at how the increase in private jet activity is expected to affect the city. Let’s also take a look at how Paris prepared for this large increase in private aviation travel.

Increase in business jet activity

Many aviation specialists believe that the influx of attendees at this year’s Olympic Games will present a unique opportunity for private aviation growth in the surrounding region.

Public figures, celebrities, politicians, sponsors, business partners, tourists, and even some athletes and their coaches and doctors may fly privately to Paris, France.

OE-LVA Gulfstream G500 aircraft is landing

Photo: Robert Buchel | Shutterstock

The Olympic Games themselves are spread across France, meaning there will be unique transportation needed to move guests and athletes near their intended event.

The following events are scheduled to take place in the following destinations:

  • Diving at the Paris Aquatic Center
  • Basketball, skateboarding, and BMX at the Place de la Concorde
  • Tennis and boxing at Roland-Garros Stadium
  • Track & field and rugby at the Stade de France
  • Swimming and water polo at the Paris La Défense Arena
  • Volleyball, table tennis, and weightlifting at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles
  • Judo and wrestling at Grand Palais Éphémère
  • Archery at Les Invalides
  • Field hockey at Yves du Manoir Stadium
  • Gymnastics and badminton at Porte de la Chapelle Arena
  • Beach volleyball at Eiffel Tower Stadium

Additionally, surfing is scheduled to be held at the village of Teahupo’o on the tropical island of Tahiti. This island is nearly 10,000 miles away from Paris, France, where the majority of the other games are held, which means the competitors will need special transportation arrangements to reach the event.

Many charter companies in France and Europe have prepared for this event. Attendees may choose to fly privately for many reasons. Travelers typically have the ability to fly whenever they want in a business jet, meaning they do not have to wait for a scheduled commercial flight.

The traveler can also take a direct route to the airport of their choice as long as the jet has a capable range. Private jets are typically smaller than commercial airliners, which means that they can take off and land on smaller runways at smaller airports.

This opens up a wider range of capable airports at which to land, which may be closer to their intended destination.

Harmony Jets Dassault Falcon 10 (9H-CLD) with underwing registration sticker displaying only CLD

Photo: InsectWorld | Shutterstock

Because of this, Victor, a private jet charter company, reported a 300% increase in chartered flights to France. VistaJet, another large private jet charter company, offered a VIP travel experience in line with the Olympic Games.

Flexjet set up several multi-stop itineraries for customers to choose from, making the scheduling easier during the heavy travel period. This allows customers to travel between events across France more easily.

Private jet activity in nearby airports

Travelers who fly privately also depart from smaller private terminals, even in major airports. This means there is less of a wait prior to boarding their aircraft, and they can fly to more airports across the country.

According to Aero Affaires, some of the airports that will be accepting private jet flights for the Olympic Games are:

These airports are spread out throughout France, meaning that some are located closer to specific events. For example, sailing events are scheduled at the Marseille Marina, so attendees may prefer to fly to Marseille Provence Airport.

The Lyon Bron Airport is near the Lyon Stadium, where many soccer games are scheduled. Additionally, the Tahiti International Airport is the best airport option for those intending to spectate surfing events.

How are manufacturers predicted to support the heavy influx

Many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that design and develop these business jets have new or existing infrastructure in the surrounding area to support any issues that may arise.

Dassault, a French-based manufacturer that produces the Falcon series, obviously has a large network of support stations throughout the country. This includes Go Teams, which are technicians that can report to an aircraft on the ground (AOG) as fast as possible.

Net Jets Bombardier Global 7500 aircraft is landing on runway 14 in Davos

Photo: Robert Buchel | Shutterstock

Bombardier has an existing line maintenance station in both Paris and Nice, which provides a wide range of service and maintenance work for Bombardier Challengers, Bombardier Globals, and Learjets. Bombardier also has a line station in nearby Geneva, Switzerland.

Textron Aviation is another manufacturer with a service center in France. This facility is located near Paris Le Bourget Airport and can service all Cessna Citation jets, all Beechcraft aircraft, and all Hawker products.

Other manufacturers with capable service support teams in the region are Embraer, Gulfstream, and the nearby Switzerland-based company, Pilatus Aircraft.

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