Air Service One talks with Céline Lacroix, Head of Aeronautical Business Development Marseille Airport
As we head into our final air service conference of the year, Air Service One had the chance to talk to Céline Lacroix, Head of Aeronautical Business Development at Marseille Airport.
With the airport’s new extended terminal open for business, Air Service One wanted to find out more about the opportunities it offers airline partners. We also found out how Marseille Airport is working with Middle East carriers, how the airport now has a route to China and how 2024 is expected to be one its best on record!
In addition, we get to know a little more about Celine in true Air Service One fashion!
Marseille Airport just recently opened its extended terminal. What does this development mean for both the airport and its passengers?
The new terminal is a real keystone, giving coherence between two major architectural milestones that preceded it: the historic Fernand Pouillon’s terminal built in the 50s, and the Richard Rogers’ halls and boarding area built in the 90s. The new terminal, signed by Foster & Partners, allows to centralise and rationalise all flows between the two existing buildings.
It takes us from a previous system with four different points of entry to one single, simple and very intuitive customer experience!
In terms of quality, this project has four other major virtues: an upgrade of hold baggage screening facilities, a redesigned commercial experience with 18 new brands (shops, restaurants, duty free), the introduction of new technologies and, last but not least, climatic comfort, using solar gain in winter and natural ventilation in summer. In August, less than two months after the opening of the new terminal, we had our best ASQ score in the airport’s history.
Marseille Airport welcomed its first flights from China (the only French airport outside Paris) with Shanghai Airlines commencing operations this summer. Do you see more opportunities for nonstop services from the Far East?
China Eastern has started to operate this summer with 3 weekly frequencies and will continue to operate in winter with 2 weekly frequencies. We are very glad about the launch of the Shanghai-Marseille route as we are indeed the only regional airport to be connected with China. Important to note that this route is launched when France and China celebrate their 60th anniversary of friendship!
The route will help to boost the attractiveness of our region, both economically and in terms of tourism, as well as exchanges between those twin cities.
We continue to see many opportunities for nonstop services from the Far East, however it is important to mention that China Eastern’s hub in Shanghai already allows numerous international connections like Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Sydney…
Marseille Airport will soon boast nonstop flights to the Middle East with Transavia commencing operations to Dubai. Are there efforts to secure flights from one of the Middle East Big Three carriers?
While we’re very happy to have Transavia France serving the point-to-point demand between Marseille and Dubai during the winter, we aim to be connected with (at least) one of the Big 3 in the Middle East. The recent addition of the direct route between Marseille and Shanghai clearly demonstrates that we have a huge demand from Provence to Asia. Clearly the market potential is there, but in some cases, we need to sort out current traffic right limitations to make this happen.
Are there any other regions or particular destinations that you are targeting?
Our biggest O&D remains New York with more than 60K passengers who have travelled in 2023 indirectly between MRS and NYC. This represents the largest unserved market from NYC to France and the 2nd in Western Europe!
We are currently in contact with different airlines, and we trust to make this project a reality soon!
On top, we still have many other opportunities like the Nordics, Eastern Europe or the French West Indies (Antilles).
How has the 2024 summer season performed so far and how many passengers do you expect to handle by the end of the year?
Before answering, it is important to mention that MRS airport has already recovered its 2019 traffic in 2023, ending the year at +7% VS 2019. That made MRS the most dynamic French airport in traffic recovery among regional airports and 5th in Western Europe in its category. Year-to-date, we remain the most dynamic airport, and the summer season has performed exceptionally well. We’ve grown +5.1% in July and August 2024 VS the same period in 2023. It is worth noting that, despite the increase in passenger numbers, we have maintained a lower number of movements compared to 2019. This indicates that airlines are operating with larger aircraft and achieving higher seat loads. For 2024, we project between 10.9 and 11 million passengers at MRS for the full year.
Have the Paris Olympics had any impact on your numbers, considering Marseille also hosted sailing events?
Airlines operated with exceptionally high seat occupancy this summer. We believe the Olympics played a role in these strong results, as we hosted the sailing events along with 10 soccer matches, both men’s and women’s.
How important is cargo traffic for Marseille, considering the airport is France’s second largest for cargo flights?
Marseille is the 1st regional airport in France for Cargo with 55K tons last year. Our freight is represented by 90% of express freight (La Poste, DHL, UPS, Fedex…) and 10% of traditional freight. Cargo is also a really important part of our business cases for long haul sectors as it can represent up to 20% of the profitability of the routes.
Marseille cargo is equipped with main cold rooms facilities agreed by EU in Southern France, and can also handle organic freight, unlike other French regional airports.
What are the advantages for airlines to serve Marseille over other nearby airports such as Nice and Montpellier?
Marseille has a very strategic location, near by the Mediterranean Sea and right at the cross between Spain and Italy. We are connected to Paris with high-speed train in 3 hours. The airport is connected to 100 cities thanks to 10 bus lines and up to 73 trains per day from Vitrolles-Aéroport Marseille Provence train station. We offer a well-balanced market (Inbound/Outbound, Business/Leisure/VFR, Pax/Cargo). Furthermore, our extensive international network offers the best connecting opportunities (after Paris) to North Africa, for example.
Air Service Fun:
Favourite movie of all time?
I want to give 2: The Truman Show and Shutter Island
Favourite unusual fact about Marseille?
After Paris, Marseille is the first destination for film making in France. In addition to its southern light and natural scenery, Marseille boasts an entire film (or series) ecosystem that attracts many audiovisual professionals around the world. A very Hollywood-inspired installation, which originally stemmed from an advertising campaign for the eponymous Netflix series, has even settled in and became a true symbol of the city.
Favourite place to visit abroad and why?
Barcelona remains one of my favourite cities in the world. I lived there for five years, and I’m always excited to go back. It’s a big city, yet you can easily explore much of it on foot, and there’s always something happening, with numerous cultural events organized year-round. For food lovers, Barcelona is a paradise, offering endless culinary options for every taste.
What was your most memorable flight and why?
While working for an airline, I had the unique opportunity to bring my mum as a guest in the cockpit. It was an unforgettable experience and seeing her excitement as she sat up front and chatted with the pilots was truly special!
Favourite airline livery?
Brussels Airline’s Tintin aircraft !!
What is your main interest outside of airport life?
Traveling is an easy answer, but I love traveling around and discovering new places, meet with new people and discovering new cultures. Apart from that, I also love playing padel and walking my dog around !
