History of Brest Bretagne airport
Key dates and events
1917: two airship hangars were built by the American Navy on the Lanrus moors in Guipavas. This was to be the start of what was to become Brest Bretagne airport.
After WWI the site was abandoned by the French Navy for Lanvéoc-Poulmic.
1931: the Brest Chamber of Commerce, presided over by Denis-Jean Corre, decided that it was important for Finistère to have a transatlantic air base, and invested in developing the Guipavas site. The first air club in Finistère, newly created by Charles-Yves Peslin, organised its first air show.
1935: the Chamber of Commerce obtained usufruct of the aviation site. The site was then transformed through landscaping and the installation of facilities (hangar, club house etc.) to become a real aerodrome.
12-13 June 1937: inauguration of the Brest-Guipavas airport.
1940-1945: the aerodrome is occupied by the German army, which was to leave it behind in ruins.
1946: first flights of perishable goods to England (strawberries from Plougastel).
1953: first charter flight from Brest to Jersey.
1955: first regular flight from Brest to Ouessant.
12 January 1961: inauguration of the Brest-Paris line by Air Inter, with twice daily return flights.
1963: commercial traffic exceeds 10,000 passengers, resulting in the need for new airport facilities, unveiled in 1966.
1986: the airport terminal is extended.
1992: the runway, having been extended several times, now reaches 3,100m.
1993: construction of a freight terminal.
1997: commercial traffic exceeds 600,000 passengers. The terminal was extended in 1998 and the idea of a completely new building emerged.
12 December 2007: the new airport terminal opens - as it can be seen today. An ultramodern architectural building, it can receive up to 1.4 million passengers per year. It also meets new safety requirements and gives passengers direct views over the runway.
2012: the milestone of 1 million passengers is reached for the first time.
26 September 2016: Reiñ Lusk (« Give momentum » in Breton), the consortium owned by the Brest Chamber of Commerce, is elected by the regional council of Brittany to manage Brest and Quimper airports.