The French government has announced it will abandon plans to build a new terminal at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

Authorities pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic and the changing environmental priorities of the government as the reasons given for the move.

A fourth terminal would have allowed the airport to handle up to 40 million extra passengers a year.

France has radically changed its transport priorities, with airport developments now requiring plans for electric or hydrogen-fuelled planes.

Airbus earlier this week opened a tender process to build hydrogen facilities for aviation in Paris.

Charles de Gaulle airport, which opened in 1974, is the second busiest airport in Europe after London Heathrow, with more than 76 million passengers passing through in 2019.

Augustin de Romanet, chief executive of Aéroports de Paris, stated: “Air travel must accelerate its energy transition.

“We must draw the proper conclusions from this in our future projects.

“Following the decision to request Groupe ADP to abandon the current Terminal 4 project, as well as to submit a new project for the evolution of the Paris’ Charles de Gaulle platform, Groupe ADP is engaging in a period of reflection on the airport’s future concerns.

“The Parisian platforms have a vocation in becoming the leaders in green aviation, for the benefit of all our stakeholders, and in particular the territories neighbouring the airports.”

Image: Balkis Press/ABACA/PA Images