On Thursday, Cannes-Mandelieu Airport in southern France announced it will now allow business jets up to 35 metric tons (77,100 pounds) mtow to operate there. The previous cap was 22 metric tons (48,500 pounds). The tradeoff is that noise rules at the French Riviera airfield are becoming stricter.
Airport director Thierry Pollet said three aircraft types will benefit from the change—the Dassault Falcon 7X, Gulfstream IV and Bombardier Challenger 850. Pollet added that the Falcon 7X, however, has been allowed at Cannes since 2014, but only at a takeoff weight of less than 22 metric tons, thus limiting its range. Before Thursday's announcement, the Falcon 900 was the heaviest jet that could fly out of Cannes at mtow.
Regarding noise, aircraft that have a cumulated margin to Chapter 3 below 13 EPNdB are now banned. Three business jet types are affected by this—the Dassault Falcon 50, Beechjet 400 and Cessna Citation 650, but AIN understands some newer versions of these aircraft might be allowed. Turboprops have no noise limitation, meaning the Piaggio Avanti is still admitted at Cannes, as long as the individual aircraft's mtow remains capped at 22 metric tons.
The rule change is the result of a general agreement between Cannes authorities, local residents and the airport's management team. Pollet expects it could boost traffic by up to 2 percent.