"American Airlines wants to change Paris airports after terminal collapse/ source"

Thursday, June 24, 2004

American Airlines wants to change Paris airports after terminal
collapse/ source
Agence France-Presse


PARIS, (AFP) - American Airlines is negotiating to move its Paris
flights out of Charles de Gaulle airport after the collapse of a modern
terminal there a month ago that killed four people, an airport source
requesting anonymity told AFP Thursday.

The US airline was looking to move to Orly airport, on the other side of
the French capital, the source said.

Neither American Airlines nor Aeroports de Paris (ADP), the French
state-run airports management company, would confirm or deny the
information.

The capacity of Charles de Gaulle airport has been cut by around 15
percent because of the disaster on May 23, when a section of roof of
Terminal 2E caved in, killing a Lebanese woman, a Chinese couple, and a
Ukrainian woman travelling under a stolen Czech passport.

ADP has temporarily re-routed some of the flights that used the
terminal, notably Air France services, to Orly.

The stricken terminal was completed less than a year ago at a cost of
750 million euros (913 million dollars).

The airport source said "financial problems" were holding up a quick
response to American Airlines's request to swithc airports.

"American Airlines is trying to negotiate lower lease arrangements and
is trying to get some of the transfer costs reimbursed," the source
explained.

According to ADP, Orly is using only around 80 percent of its total
annual capacity of 250,000 flight slots.


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