Approaches and Runways of Orly Airport

Abstract

Paris airport consists of the whole set of air transport facilities, commercial and civil, which are being exploited at the two main airport terminals of Le Bourget and Orly. Le Bourget became inadequate to cope with the growing air traffic which the size of Paris demanded, and as the surrounding zone did not allow it to be sufficiently enlarged, the further development was concentrated at Orly. This airport was begun before the last world war, and was continued, and even improved, during the war itself, by the German occupation authorities. Even so, the layout was too small to adapt the runways and services to present day and probable future requirements, and allow for additional development. Orly had both the installations and area to be suitable for the further development that was visualised. Hence a totally new project of new buildings and improvements to old ones was put in hand. The size of the project, and the changes in the approaches made it necessary to carry out this project in a series of stages. Of all this work, the most important was: runways and platforms, approach runways, terminal station, conservation and repair facilities, hangars, and finally the approaches to the airport, including the bypass to number 7 national roadway. This paper describes all this work, attention being concentrated on the approaches, and within this heading, special reference has been made to the subways, since the above mentioned bypass traverses the airport through artificial tunnels, over which operates the full load of aircraft landing on the main east west runway. A brief account is also given of the pavement tests, in which prestressed concrete was utilised, as well as a description of the methods adopted inside the tunnels to reduce the noise level, and to illuminate them.