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History

“The airport is an integral part of the island”

A pioneer since 1929

Reunion Island’s aeronautical history started right here at Gillot, when the first plane landed on the island back in 1929. Today, the site is home to France’s 11th largest airport in terms of passenger numbers. It bears the name of Roland Garros, Reunion's aviation pioneer and First World War hero.

The airport is the main gateway to and from the island. It has expanded and modernised along with Reunion Island, and for the islanders it represents a place which is full of emotional greetings and farewells, the island’s link to Mainland France and the rest of the world.

The first plane

The aviator Marcel Goulette accomplished the first air link between metropolitan France and Reunion Island on 26th November 1929. His Farman landed in a field in the hamlet of Gillot, especially prepared for the occasion. From 1933, the site was used by the Roland Garros flying club.

Premier avion, Collection Ozoux

The first runway

After the Second World War, flights to and from the island became more organised. The Gillot land became Reunion Island’s airport and a 1 870 m asphalt runway was built.

Collection Patrick Legros

The first terminal

The first terminal was built near the sea, in the outskirts of the Maperine quarter.

Collection Jean Colbe

The Chamber of Commerce airport operator

The government entrusted the running of the airport to the island’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Air traffic developed between metropolitan France and Reunion Island, via Madagascar.

Collection Jean Colbe

The first Boeing

The runway was extended to 2 670 m to allow the landing of four-engined aircraft. The first Air France B 707 landed at Gillot, whose terminal was expanded.

Collection Patrick Legros

New terminal

The airport facilities were moved to the south of the runway. The current terminal was built, as well as a cargo terminal and a complex of technical buildings.

Marcel BOURDIER  DGAC - STAC

Creation of Air Austral

The Reunion Island company offered medium-haul flights over the Indian Ocean, as well as long-haul flights to metropolitan France from 2003.

Air Austral Fokker Maperine

Creation of Reunion Air Assistance

The airport ground services company works with all the airline companies and supplements the services offered by Air France.

RAA monte-malade

The long runway

A second runway was created. 3 200 m long, it allowed aircraft to take off fully loaded and to fly non-stop to metropolitan France. For its inauguration, on 26th November, the terminal was renamed “Aéroport de Reunion Island Roland Garros” in tribute to the pioneering aviator who was born on Reunion Island.

Extension of the passenger terminal

After five years of work, the terminal’s surface area has increased from 11,500 m2 on 3 levels to more than 26,500 m2 on 5 levels.

aérogare extension

New cargo terminal

A new cargo terminal was built on the eastern section of the airport.

aerogare fret

Asia non-stop

Creation of a regular flight between Reunion Island and Asia (Bangkok) operated by Air Austral, firstly through a code sharing agreement with Air Madagascar then under its own brand from 2011.

asie

The A 380

An Airbus A 380 landed at Reunion Island Roland Garros Airport on 11th November 2009 on a test flight.

A380

The S.A. Aeroport de Reunion Island

Reunion Island Roland Garros Airport concession was transferred to an airport company made up of the State, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and local authorities. For the first time the airport exceeded the threshold of two million passengers in 2011. Its activity has been growing regularly since the end of the 1980s with the development of competition on the metropolitan France-Reunion Island route, the main component of the traffic.

vue aerienne studio lumiere

New visual identity

Creation and launch of the new visual identity for Reunion Island Roland Garros Airport

Runways and taxiways

Work began to reinforce and expand runways and taxiways

The passenger Terminal eastern extension

Start of work on the passenger terminal eastern extension

Certification

Airport Company ISO 14001 (Environnement Management) ans ISO 50001 (Energy Management) certified. ISO 9001 certification renewed and extensed to the Freight Terminal

fret certification

Power plant construction

New backup power plant construction works started west of the airport

Runway and taxiway

Final completion of runway and taxiway reinforcement and shoulder broadening works

Opening of the passenger Terminal eastern

Opening of the passenger Terminal eastern extension and delivery of the phase I of the program of investments 2001-2015

Safety certification

Roland Garros Airport became the France’s first overseas airport to receive the safety certification set by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

EASA CERTIFICATION SECURITE

Renewal of the triple ISO certification

Renewal of the ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment) and ISO 50001 (Energy) certifications following an audit carried out by AFNOR (French Standardization Association) from 8th to 17th November, 2017.

Arrestor bed fitted at the end of the longest runway

Installation of an arrestor bed at point 30 of the airport’s longest runway, supplied by the Swedish company Runway Safe. Roland Garros became the first European Airport to adopt this system in order to comply with regulations.

Opening of the new passenger flow for departures

Roland Garros Airport opened a new and more comfortable flow system for departing passengers, including new areas for retail and service activities. This new flow was inaugurated on 2nd November 2017 and included escalator and staircase access to level 2 and the opening ‘kiss and fly’ room accessible to passengers and their loved ones.

circuit passagers

Record number of passengers: 2,400,000

Reunion’s Roland Garros Airport broke its record for passenger numbers on 28th December 2018, with 2,400,000 passengers.
salle arrivee

Airport Carbon Accreditation

Reunion’s Roland Garros Airport was awarded the Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 2, certifying to a reduction in CO² emissions over the previous years.

ACA AIRPORT CARBON ACCREDITATION

Commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the 1firsdt flight between Mainland France and Reunion.

On 26th November 2019, the whole airport community celebrated alongside the people of Reunion Island to mark the 90th anniversary of the first flight from Mainland France to Reunion by the Goulette-Machesseau-Bourgeois crew on the FARMAN F-AJJB.

liaison aérienne Goulette Farman

Creation of Aérotech Run OI

Creation of an association called Aerotech Run OI, project leader in structuring the aeronautical sector in Reunion and developing a regional cluster of activities dedicated to training, maintenance and innovation.

aerotech