Nice Airport : the 'saucer' of the Millennium

The extension works of the future Terminal 2 have been launched. You can see it on the four pictures. An over 600 million franc building site is needed to receive 4 million further passengers per year.

The Nice international airport is right in the middle of changes. After the extension of Terminal 1, and the shifting of the North runway, a great building site has been launched; currently, it is the biggest one on the French Riviera : the extension of the terminal 2 (620 million franc works, 37.000 square metres for the big window 'saucer' with a 120 metre diameter). On late May 19th, Francis Perugini, the President of the CCI, and Jean-Cyril Spinetta, the CEO of the Air France Group laid the foundation stone ( you can see it on the airport site, Nice.aeroport.fr); since then, the building works of the Millennium saucer are making good progress.Three big options were retained for the design of the extension that allows to receive 4 million passengers (the total receiving passenger capacity of the airport goes up from 8 to 12 million passengers). One : the processing of all the kinds of flights on the two terminals (national, Schengen, International) while today, the T1 is meant to be for international and Schengen flights, and the T2 is meant to be for domestic flights. Two : the optimisation of the gangways that allow a direct arrival in the terminal (from 11 in 1998 to 38 in 2015). Three : the development of the connecting flights thanks to the creation of a link gallery between the two terminals, by 2006.To see in a better way what the Terminal will be soon, here is the succession of four pictures made by Nice Côte d'Azur Airport from a great model of the airport (the works should be over in June 2002). Just click on the illustration to get a bigger picture).Picture 1 :The photomontage allows to be really aware of the extent of the future building and of its positioning in the airport. In the background, we can see the Terminal 1 and the control tower. In the foreground, there is the saucer under construction of the Terminal 2; this is a great saucer that comes up in the extension of the current building of the T2.Behind, on the left of the picture, there is an air park, the P5 still remains to be built. It will be made of three blocks, each one on four levels, (the lowest will be in basement, and the highest will be outside). They will be linked by gardens planted with trees, for a total amount of 2,700 spaces. The works should start in September 2000, for an implementation from May 2001 to November 2002.Picture 2 :Here is a sight of the 'saucer' with a glass wall, from the west side. The accessibility to the Terminal will be made easier thanks to the building of a double-viaduct, serving the new departure level. Its way is meant to be for professional vehicles, the other one for the deposit-minute of the passengers. The laying-out of the esplanade will separate the vehicle and pedestrian flows, favouring pedestrians. From that point, it will be possible to get an access to a very wide reception area fitted out with 34 check-in desks.Picture 3 :As for the runways, it was decided to optimise the apron. It is more comfortable for passengers to arrive by the gangway than to stay in the middle of the runway, waiting for the coach that will lead them to the landing Terminal. Six aerobridges are planned. They will allow to get a direct access to a greatest number of planes. A real space of connecting flights, placed in a reserved area, will allow the management of proximity services (regional aviation with aircrafts of less than 100 seats).Which company will the Terminal be assigned to ? It was suggested it would be Air France and the allied companies that would use it. However, at the moment, the CCI, the airport manager has not decided anything. The extension was planned to deal with all kinds of traffic and to fit the alliance strategies of the companies.Picture 4 :Here is an inside sight of the extension designed by the architect, Paul Andreu, the structure manager of Paris Airports (he had already designed the first building of the Terminal 2). The space is divided in two parts : the first is meant to be for the whole of the public, the second allows the passengers to get an access to the aircrafts. No pillars inside, which allows to get a maximum natural light and wonderful sights on the Baie des Anges.Inside, it is planned to implement spaces of life with restaurants and bars, shops and services, rooms and relaxation spaces, as well as business centres and offices. The airline companies will have two club rooms, in the Schengen and international areas.