The sixth Cannes AirShow, to be held from June 7 to 9, 2012, will be the opportunity to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Cannes-Mandelieu International Airport. Several special activities are planned, including a photographic presentation tracing the history of aviation and air shows.

Aviation hero

The current airport was developed following a major air show which hosted 50,000 spectators and proved to be the launch pad for the development of the airport way back in June 1911. In 1930, Paul Tarascon, the French aviation hero, invested the equivalent of several million euros to build the first airport on the French Riviera.

Exhibitors at the centenary event will include manufacturers Cessna, Cirrus, Hawker Beechrcaft, Embraer, Pilatus, Mooney, Daher Socata, Tecnam, Bose and many others. “There is nearly a 15% increase in participation this year compared to the 2011 show. Despite the economic crisis, the Cannes AirShow remains a ‘can’t miss’ event for general aviation in Southern Europe,” said Didier MARY, Director of the event.

More than 10,000 pilots and 20,000 visitors are expected to attend the sixth show this year. For news about this and other Cannes events, follow Cannes or Bust.

The destinations are Tel Aviv, Barcelona, Athens, Naples, Istanbul and Venice, all of which enter into service from April 2012 – just in time for the Cannes Film Festival 2012.

So if you are intending to attend the Film Festival, double check all these possibilities to get the best combination of convenience and price.

Resources:

Air France

Nice airport

Easyjet is already well established at Nice airport, with flight to and from European cities such as Rome, Lyon, Geneva, Basel– Mulhouse, Paris – CDG and Orly, Brussels, Berlin – Schönefeld (with Brandebourg from June 3), London (Stansted, Luton, Gatwick), Bristol, Liverpool, Belfast, Edinburgh and Newcastle.

Intercontinental travelers should check if it is possible to connect at any of these airports from their local airports.

For bookings, visit Easyjet.

Hotels, the Croisette and port off bounds

In practical terms, access to the town will be difficult between October 31 at midnight and Friday November 4 at 6pm at least. As you can see from the map, the inner city has been divided into two:

• Zone 1 includes the port, Palais, hotels and Croisette, which are all closed to everyone without a badge Oct 31 (midnight) to Nov 4 at 6pm
• Zone 2 includes the area between the railway tracks and Le Suquet. It will be closed to anyone without a badge Nov 1-4.

Extraordinary measures – such as locking manholes – have been taken, and the city will doubtless have a serious cleaning up period afterwards. It has been announced that the Schengen agreements will be suspended for the period, to try and keep organised gangs from attending (notably from Italy). Strict police controls can be expected across the region, with a strong likelihood of disturbances to train and bus schedules. There will also be heavy helicopter traffic throughout the week.

So my advice is stay away for the period if at all possible.

Photo courtesy of PlaneCheck.com

For the 2011 Cannes Air Show exhibition, Jacques Callies and Gilles Khaïat will attempt to set a new record: New York to Cannes in less than 24 hours in a Mooney Ovation2 GX (similar to the one in the photo) without extra fuel equipment. The pair are scheduled to leave from Bridgeport New-York, Wednesday, June 8th at 05:00 am, with a possible stop in Greenland, for an arrival prior to the Cannes Air Show opening at 10:00 am on Thursday June 9th.

The Mooney Ovation 2 GX is a modern and powerful (280 HP) single engine aircraft equipped with de-icing and oxygen, essential for flights over Greenland and in case of icy conditions. If the winds are favourable,  two stops will be sufficient at Goose Bay and Reykjavik. The Crossover would then be possible in less than 24 hours. A true performance!

Jacques Callies, pilot, editor of the Aviation & Pilote Magazine and Gilles Khaïat, attorney at law in Paris, already set a world record during last year’s Cannes Air Show exhibition, flying from Cannes to Tel-Aviv non-stop in 9 hours and 58 minutes in a Mooney M20J.

This 5th edition of Cannes AirShow will take place at the airport of Cannes LFMD, over three days from June 9 to 11. Details on their site.  Previous airshow news

All the major aircraft manufacturers enrolled between July and mid-September. “They want to choose their location quickly so that they do not miss the only event in France dedicated to general aviation, and write down the Cannes exhibition in their calendar,” said Didier Mary, the event organizer.

In less than five years, The Cannes Airshow has become a major annual event. It brings together the leading companies in general and business aviation, allowing a demanding clientèle to discover the latest developments and industry innovations.

The show is held in Cannes Mandelieu airport over three days from June 9 to 11, 2011. Unlike previous years, the show will open on Thursday and Friday for professionals, with the general public visiting on the Saturday.

For details, visit Cannes Air Show.

Germanwings fly to many airports in Germany and Greece from Nice airport.

If you intend on visiting, click this link for a special offer from Air France.

Eur-Avia Cannes covers both the new and second-hand markets, with private individuals and professionals exhibiting second-hand planes. Conferences this year include: “can airports and neighbours make good neighbours” and “buying a second-hand plane”.

Read more about Eur Avia.

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Although many people are trying to put a brave face on it, when you’re stranded in Cannes you are still stranded. Most people have jobs to get back to, and are racking up bills for hotels and trying to keep in touch with people back home.

Several Cweeps (Cannes Tweeps) use Twitter as a way of relaying news, tips and offers to share cars and coaches to people that are stranded in Cannes by French rail and air strikes or volcanic ash. Many visitors living on mainland Europe can find alternative ways to get home, most of which involve 15 hour trips on motorways.

For visitors that are stuck in Cannes or Nice here are a selection of information sources:

Nice airport (which can be quite slow). Alternatively, to get SMS/text message updates concerning your flight, send “NICE [your flight n°]” to the French phone n° 71009. It costs 50 eurocents, plus the cost of your call on your carrier. But remember that text messages are not necessarily instantaneous.
French railways (the mobile version which is admirably brief)

When Cannes was hit by the fallout of volcanic ash, one of my tips was that people use car-pooling services. Try these sites:

RoadSharing

and the newer GeoGoer.

Twitter has been invaluable in providing information and hooking people up. A number of hashtags sprang up, including #stranded, #ashtag, #getmehome. My tip, however, is to use the #euva hashtag, as this is used by people such as EuroControl to exchange breaking news about European air traffic.

Follow it here #euva and read the comments below for more Cannes travel news and links.

Rome is already served by Air France, Alitalia and just one other low cost airline, Blu-Express. Our tip: if you’re coming or going to Milan, you might also want to check the special deals on Trenitalia.