Flight Pro International is Focused on France
Paris Olympics takes center stage | FPI has great news to share!
Along with much of the globe, FPI is keeping a keen eye on current happenings in France.
However, amidst the political uncertainties and impact of the upcoming Olympics/Paralympics, FPI is proud to announce the expansion of their French local office… a timely development for trip planning to the region.
In June, Sebastien Ledoux joined FPI’s busy Paris Le Bourget Airport office as a Supervisory Representative. Sebastien brings a lengthy history of private aviation operational experience, from time-sensitive medical and business flight dispatch, to real-time operations management, ground handling, and VIP charter management. (See below for more about Sebastien’s story.)
Sebastien joins Lionel Cojan, a familiar and much-appreciated FPI trip management specialist already based in France as a Supervisory Manager (read more of Lionel’s history here).
Already known for elite white glove service, FPI’s local French team is thoroughly equipped for the increasing need of dedicated and specialized trip management within France’s busy metro regions (with Paris and Nice being the busiest) as well as the remote (and often more challenging) French regions.
This increased capacity is well-timed for clients traveling to and near France this Summer, facing the one-two-punch of regional upheaval: the looming Paris Olympics immediately following a historic national election already pushing the country into uncharted territory.
How will French elections impact the Olympics?
How will the Olympics impact private aviation, ground handling, and VIP travel?
While the first question cannot be fully known as of the date of this publishing, you will find the latest recommendations for navigating around all of France during the Olympics by viewing FPI’s ongoing resource personally culled and monitored by Lionel.
This link includes a downloadable dossier with hyperlinks into further Olympics-related details:
“We know what our clients want and expect,” states Lionel. “For
several months, we’ve been closely monitoring discussions
within direct and indirect airports, civil authorities, along with
multiple preferred vendors whom we rely upon for VIP ground
handling and travel services.
“According to officials, no major changes to the Olympics
operational planning are anticipated as everything has been
approved and in play for quite some time. Nevertheless, these
elections have certainly been atypical, and therefore we’re on
constant alert and in frequent communications with local
departments regarding any nuanced changes that may affect
your travel plans to the area.”
Inside the FPI Olympics dossier, you will find key information regarding:
- Key event schedules, locations, venues, and helpful web links
- Paris-area airport notices regarding dignitary flights, slot coordination, restrictions, and drive-times
- Various airport, hotel, and transportation information for Paris and other cities
- Security notices known to date
- Alternate recommendations
“There is still time to entertain new Summertime travel plans to France; however, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible to review your agenda. In addition to our French team, FPI is positioned in multiple neighboring regions should you decide an alternate plan is best during the Olympics,” suggests Sebastien. “We’re ready to be creative to help your planning as best as possible!”
Sebastien can confidently speak from a great deal of experience with rapidly changing flight operations. His original entry into the world of aviation was as a Flight Dispatcher for a family-owned company in Le Bourget, with a wide variety fleet covering both medical and private/business aviation activity on a global scale.
“This was my first experience with aviation and I just loved it,” states Sebastien. “Our long-range aircraft, the Falcon 50, was deployed on many medical flights, and so we were on call 24/7 to fly critical people all over the earth.
“One of the more notable successes was an instance around the year 2010, when digital communications in flight operations was more primitive than it is today. We had an aircraft in Bangkok that needed to quickly return to France, however the overflight permit for India was missing and their Civil Aviation was closed. I must have called the entire country of India before finally reaching the on-duty FIR manager’s home. Without initially understanding our plight, he insisted we dispatch a courier to his home to sign physical papers. When he finally realized we were calling from France, he quickly issued the email we needed and our pilots were off.
“I was utterly exhausted after that shift, but relieved the plane didn’t have to wait any longer. That was a memorable moment of teamwork.”
Fortunately, today’s flight operations and digital
communications are far more efficient, especially for FPI
clients benefitting from FlightProConnect.com
(“FPC”)… FPI’s custom software and all-in-one tool for
private aviation that will undoubtedly aid upcoming
maneuvering around France this Summer or any other
global trip management for that matter.
“We’ve been pressing forward on growth and
enhancements at FPI since our inception, including our
personnel and our technology,” states Matt Pahl, FPI’s
President and COO. “Our clients are busier than ever, and
we’re well poised to continue meeting their increasing
operational needs on a global scale.
“Sebastien is yet another great addition to the FPI team,
and we’re glad to have him on board.”
As a reminder, FPI’s French team also services French-speaking regions across the globe, including North America, Caribbean, French Guyana, Pacific Tahiti, and Belgium, among others.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to Lionel or Sebastien with any questions about your upcoming travel ideas to France, and rest assured that they are keeping their finger on the pulse of all things related to the impact that the French elections and the Olympics will have on aviation.
FPI France has you covered!
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To learn more about FPI, regarding Compliance, Operations, Regulatory, Weather, and other Special Services Network (SSN) teams, please contact our Operations staff here at Flight Pro International.
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