A year of nonstop route between Paris and Indy | 2019-05-24 | Indianapolis Business Journal

Officials at Indianapolis International Airport say they are encouraged by strong passenger bookings during the first year of nonstop service from Delta Air Lines Inc. to Paris. new roads.

"The flight exceeded our expectations," said Maggie Bishop, an airport business development analyst for the development of air services. "We are satisfied with the performance of the first year."

On May 24, 2018, Delta, based in Atlanta, began to fly between the Indianapolis International Airport and Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, offering Indiana its first transatlantic flight without call. Between that date and the end of November (the most recent date for which US Department of Transportation data are available), Delta carried nearly 23,400 passengers to Paris on the flight.

"These are not bad numbers for a ramp-up period," said Madhu Unnikrishnan, editor of the aviation industry's Skift Airline Weekly publication.

And, said Bishop, Delta has indicated its intention to increase the frequency of the Paris route in September. The frequency fluctuates according to the time of the year, but last year, Delta proposed the trip five days a week in September. This year, Bishop said, it will be six days.

It's "certainly encouraging" for Indianapolis, said Unnikrishnan. "Whenever an airline adds more service, it means the road is fine."

Another sign of strong road growth: Delta took less than a year to get the $ 3.5 million in first-year economic incentives allowed under its contract with Indiana Economic Development Corp.

The two-year deal allows Delta to earn $ 55 per passenger flying ($ 110 per round trip) in the first year of service and $ 35 per passenger ($ 70 per round trip) in the second year . Payments are capped at $ 3.5 million in the first year and $ 2 million in the second year.

The first year of the contract began May 25, 2018 and continues until the end of the month. The second year runs from June 1 to May 31, 2020.

Delta has reached its ceiling of incentives at the end of the first quarter of this year, said IEDC spokeswoman Abby Gras.

In an e-mail, she said that state officials are "really encouraged by the performance of this path." It is clear that it is necessary and desirable to strengthen connectivity between Indiana and global markets like the US. 'Europe".

"The road has worked as well as other established markets with a similar service, which is a promising sign, and we look forward to continuing our momentum for the second year," said Gras.

The rapid success of the Paris route is particularly encouraging, Bishop said, because of its high-profile nature.

Indianapolis is one of the 11 American cities from which Delta offers non-stop service to Paris. And since this line was launched here, it has attracted a lot of attention from other airlines.

"Every airline we've talked to since we launched Paris is interested in the success of this flight," said Bishop. "He certainly raised the conversation and stung the interest."

Airport officials have always thought that Indianapolis had enough passengers to take over such a service, said Bishop, and that now she has the numbers needed.

"After the first year of operation, we are confident to be able to say that Indianapolis can handle a long haul transatlantic flight," she said.

Road data also shows that some passengers use the Paris flight as a starting point for other destinations, Bishop said. "It's not just a good flight to Paris. It's access to the rest of the world. "

Delta operates the Indianapolis-Paris flight in partnership with Air France and Charles de Gaulle is the largest hub of Air France.

For Indianapolis passengers who use the Paris flight as a connector, the Indian cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and the Italian cities of Florence and Rome are the main destinations, said Bishop.

The data provides ammunition that the airport and its commercial development partners, including the IEDC and the Indy Chamber, can use to land more international flights, Bishop said.

The technology and pharmacy industries occupy an important place in India, as well as in Indianapolis. And providing easier access to India is important in itself, said Unnikrishnan of Skift Airline Weekly.

"Going from North America to India has always been difficult," he said, because there are not many direct flights. Many options involve two stops.

Delta declined to answer questions about the performance of the route or its comparison with international routes that the airline has launched in other mid-size markets.

But a representative of the airline said in an email that many customers had told Delta that their itinerary "made sense".

"We are looking forward to taking more customers to more locations and welcoming many of the same customers during our second year of service between Indianapolis and Paris," said spokesman Morgan Durrant.

International flights from medium-sized US markets are not always successful, Unnikrishnan said. In Cleveland, for example, last May Icelandair launched a year – round service between this city and Reykjavik, capital of Iceland. But this fall, Icelandair said that it was converting this link into a seasonal service. In March, the airline canceled it.

Indianapolis is in a different position, said Unnikrishnan.

Its economy is stronger than many of its peers and the presence of several multinationals here helps to strengthen the demand for international flights. Indianapolis was also a mini-hub for Northwest Airlines, since acquired by Delta. This gives Indianapolis a core of Delta's loyal customers, he said.

"I think Indianapolis has a lot of things to do that many other mid-sized cities do not have." •