Who does what?
During the winter period, Aéroports de Paris constantly monitors the weather forecasts, working closely with the staff of Météo France, the French weather forecast service. The snow plan is activated as soon as any weather- related risks become apparent.An emergency committee comprising representatives of Aéroports de Paris, the French civil aviation authority (DGAC), the airlines and Météo France convenes to decide what resources will need to be mobilised, both in terms of manpower and machinery. This group, which is known as the CDM (Collaborative Decision Making) carries out a key coordination role and each of its members plays a part.
Météo France is constantly updating and publishing weather forecasts, which are passed on to the various players. At Paris- Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly, a dedicated Météo France team is based within the airport grounds.
The Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC) is the French civil aviation authority in charge of air traffic control (aircraft movements on the ground and in the air). It defines the airport capacity, based on weather conditions and the number of available runways (the number of aircraft authorised to land and take off per hour), and if necessary will request the airlines to adapt their flight schedule in line with the meteorological data. The DGAC grants aircraft permission to take off and land, and if necessary, it can suspend air traffic operations altogether.
2014 - 2015 winter season Aéroports de Paris clears runways, taxiways and aircraft parking stands when they are unoccupied. If parking stands are occupied, the airlines themselves must clear the snow. At Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Aéroports de Paris is responsible for aircraft de-icing operations, which are performed by service-providers within dedicated areas. At Paris- Orly, however, the airlines themselves are responsible for aircraft de-icing operations, via service-providers.
Aéroports de Paris also helps to keep passengers informed, by spreading the information it receives from the airlines (delays, cancellations, etc.). If necessary, Aéroports de Paris can also attend to passengers whose airlines have been unable to find them accommodation in nearby hotels, and who therefore find themselves stuck in the airport terminals.
Airlines adapt their flight schedules, provide information and assistance for their customers and look after them if flights are delayed or cancelled. If necessary, airlines will provide hotel accommodation for their passengers. Airlines may also experience flight delays and cancellations due to weather conditions at airports where inbound flights originated, and not just due to weather conditions in the local Ile-de-France region.
Working together with our partners enables us to anticipate and cope as smoothly as possible with any forecast disruption and thus to guarantee optimum safety conditions.
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