Take-off was smooth and quiet for a small plane and, with cloud cover high, those in the port (right-hand side) window seats could see Kirchberg from a different angle, the steel and glass structures gleaming crystal clear in the dry morning and sparkling street lights, with those on starboard (left-hand side) enjoying the sunrise and the patterns it created in the sky as the sun made its daily entrance. Once at cruising altitude of 20,000 feet (circa 6km) the drinks trolley came round with a simple choice of tea, coffee, hot chocolate or water, with slices of cake too.
Flying in to Lyon the sky was clear, enabling a bird's-eye view of the surrounding countryside - flat, agricultural and pot-marked with lakes and water courses - before flying lower over the suburbs and light industrial zones.
After the 75-minute flight, a (very) quick transfer in Lyon airport, the main hub of HOP!, with a brief pause for immigration control still in force following the terrorist attacks in Paris, we boarded an Airbus A319 - which afforded even more room - for the 55-minute flight to Toulouse. We were in the air again just 30 minutes after touching down, with no rush or hassle whatsoever: a leaf out of the German manual on efficiency. Unfortunately, due to (rain) cloud cover over Toulouse, the topography of the land could not be experienced during the descent. No second security clearance needed here. However, by 10:10 we were in a bus travelling away from Toulouse airport and towards the ATR production facility.
Literally three minutes later we had arrived at our destination, located across the road from one of the main Airbus sites. The media briefing included presentations from both HOP! AirFrance and ATR. Hélène Abraham of HOP! talked about Lyon being a hub and offering flight connections to other destinations in France and abroad, and that the bookings for the Luxembourg-Lyon flights for February are already above 50%. She also mentioned the temporary use of Luxembourg airport while Metz-Lorraine is undergoing renovations, for other HOP! flights.
Jérome Gabory of ATR explained that the company was formed in 1981 with an Italian-French collaboration, with Airbus holding 59% of the shares. He described ATR as the #1 turboprop aircraft manufacturer in the world (77%), ideal for regional airlines (routes up to 600km) with a 40% less fuel burn than any regional jet, with the fuselage coming from Naples, the wings from Bordeaux, the propellors from Elsewhere in France and the engines (Pratt & Whitney) from Montreal (the components arrive by boat/road and by rail). It also has 37% of the world market in 50-90 aircraft segment (Embraer is the market-leader). ATR delivered 88 planes to customers in 2015 and have an order backlog for 260 planes, equivalent to 3 years of production. HOP!'s fleet comprises 24 ATRs (13 ATR 42s and 11 ATR 72s).
The formal part of the visit was followed by a tour of the ATR-Airbus assembly line, so back into the bus to the Saint Martin facility in the outskirts of Toulouse. ATR operates two (indoor) assembly lines, one for standard assembly and the other for customisation, before the 23-tonne aircraft are brought to the delivery centre (outdoor) - this included planes almost ready for delivery to airlines all over the world, including in South America, North America, the Caribbean, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, the sub-continent, Oceana and South-East Asia,... Interestingly, certainly for aeronautics nerds, this same space had previously been used for the Concorde assembly line...
After completion each plane has two 2-hour flights, plus a third one with the customer, before delivery/handover; a brand new aircraft is therefore delivered with just 6 hours flying time on the clock. Additionally, the vast majority or aircraft are now leased instead of being purchased outright, with delivery prices at €24-26 million per aircraft.
After a fine lunch at ATR we then got the opportunity to visit the Aéroscopia flight museum. Having previously had the experience of visiting the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC - undoubtedly my favourite museum in the world - the Aéroscopia in Toulouse would never reach those heights. However, it made for a stimulating and informative 70-minute walk round, with the information panels in both French and English covering an array of topic from the history of flight, early commercial and military aircraft, through to speed records. And it was not just confined to French aviation either. There were circa 20 aircraft on display, including a Concorde and an Airbus A300B which you could explore inside as well as see the exterior and walk underneath to get a full perspective of these special craft.
The return flights by HOP! via Lyon went smoothly, meaning a return to Luxembourg by 21:30 as scheduled, suitable refreshed after a nap and a couple of on-board drinks.
The one thing I didn't get round to doing in Toulouse was getting to De Danú, the Irish pub owned by former Irish rugby international Trevor Brennan, but maybe that's an excuse to return...
A few weeks ago, HOP! Air France announced that, as planned, it is transferring its flights to Luxembourg Airport in Findel between 29 February and 15 April 2016 as Lorraine (Metz-Nancy) Airport closes its runways for repair. Throughout the construction period, HOP! Air France will adapt its flight schedule from Findel. The airline will operate 3 daily direct flights to Lyon and 1 flight on Saturday and two on Sunday to Nice.
For further details including reservations, see www.hop.com and www.airfrance.lu.
Photos by Geoff Thompson - for full photo album (on Facebook) see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.829070620537578.1073741901.238112732966706&type=3
