Orly (France) (AFP)

Orly airport put the engines back on Friday with the takeoff of a first flight to Porto, after nearly three months of lethargy under the blow of the blow inflicted on air transport by the coronavirus.

A plane of the low-cost company Transavia took off at 6:25 a.m. marking the return to the sky of commercial flights from the south of Paris airport which had been closed on the evening of March 31.

Before launching it on the runway, the device was watered by the water cannons of the airport firefighters during a ceremony known as "water salute".

For almost three months, all commercial flights departing from the capital have been grouped together at Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), north of Paris, to rationalize operating costs.

Friday at Orly, a little more than 70 aircraft movements are planned - against an average of 600 in normal times - operated by 8 companies (Air Caraïbes, Air Corsica, Air France, Amelia, Corsair, French Bee, Transavia and Wizzair) .

These flights will notably serve Corsica, a few countries in the Schengen zone and the French overseas departments.

About 8,000 passengers are expected, or less than 10% of the usual traffic of 90,000 passengers on average per day at this airport.

The number of movements was expected to climb to 173 at the beginning of July, but their progression remains uncertain, linked to the unknowns of the opening or not of the borders, notably in the Maghreb, and of the evolution of the health situation.

- Partial reopening -

The reopening of the airport will therefore be partial. All flights will initially be grouped together at Orly 3, the brand-new terminal opened just over a year ago. Then gradually reopen Orly 4, 1 and 2.

In May, traffic collapsed 97.8% at CDG, with only 200,000 passengers accommodated.

To restore confidence to passengers, airlines and airports have implemented health measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

More than 7,000 posters and stickers to mark physical distance were placed at Orly, 150 gel dispensers and 137 Plexiglas installed at all reception desks, check-in and boarding banks.

A thermal camera takes the temperature of travelers on arrival to detect possible cases of contamination by the coronavirus.

Almost all of the Orly 3 stores will open on Friday, with a few exceptions such as a self-service candy store.

Mobile collection points will be deployed in "duty free" stores, the fabric baskets have been replaced by metal baskets so that they can be disinfected regularly, as are the perfume testers.

Globally, passenger traffic bottomed out in April, plunging 94.3% (measured in paid passenger kilometers, or RPK) compared to April 2019, while travel restrictions virtually prohibited all air travel .

According to Iata, in the first week of April, governments in 75% of the markets overseen by the organization had completely banned entry, and 19% had limited travel restrictions or quarantine requirements for them. international arrivals.

A timid recovery began in May (+ 30% traffic compared to April but a drop of 73% compared to the same month in 2019), thanks to the restart in Asia, the United States, Japan and Germany , mainly in their domestic markets.

© 2020 AFP