Europe (English)

Aerotropolis Europe Launches to Accelerate Global Economic Potential of Paris Region

Paris, France, March, 23rd, 2010—Aerotropolis Europe, a new business association aiming to promote and attract investors and businesses to the Paris region, has launched to kick-start the economic potential of the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle area. The association will help Paris compete with key cities like London to become a central gateway for the international passenger and goods market.


First created in December 2009, the Aerotropolis Europe association brings together 11 members* representing private and institutional investors from a diverse range of sectors. Nine projects are currently under development as part of the association and are expected to create close to 15,000 jobs upon completion.

“With the largest GDP in Europe, Paris is an attractive destination for foreign companies seeking to invest and develop their business in Europe and access over 500 million consumers. As the largest parcel market in the world, Europe has tremendous growth potential. With the recent expansion around Roissy-CDG, the Aerotropolis Europe association, with the support of all of its members, has the ability to propel this area onto the international stage,” said Alain Chaillé, vice president, Operations, FedEx Express Southern Europe and president of Aerotropolis Europe.


The association will empower companies based in the Paris region to pool their collective interests and speak with a unified voice to local and national stakeholders as well as to public agencies. This will help make the region more attractive to investors and encourage other businesses to relocate to the area by positioning it as an excellent destination to live, work and do business. By showcasing how the region has the potential to become the recognised distribution centre for high-value goods in Europe, the association will promote the projects through joint activities including seminars, conferences and direct marketing.


‘Aerotropolis,’ a term coined by John D. Kasarda , refers to a new state of urban development which combines aviation-intensive businesses and related enterprises extending up to 25 kilometers outward from mega-airports. The overall objective is to connect the region’s business and event centers, educational institutions and entertainment districts to the main transportation corridors of cities as well as create jobs. The Aerotropolis Europe association will also foster the development of stronger trade links with other Aerotropolis regions in the world, such as Memphis, U.S.A., and Guangzhou, China.

“Aerotropolis Europe draws its inspiration from the success of its American counterpart, Aerotropolis Memphis, where FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) has 35,000 team members and 200,000 jobs directly linked to the activity of this group. More than 1,000 companies have established themselves in the vicinity of the airport and consequently doubled the GDP of the Memphis area in only ten years,” Chaillé said.

*11 Members of the Aerotropolis Europe Association:

Projects / Investors:

o Aéroville, mall / Unibail-Rodamco

o FedEx Express CDG Hub

o Golf Park, 90 hectares / Roissy en France

o Les grands champs, Euro-chinese trade center and global hub for sustainable energies

o Parc Mail, offices / Dixence

o Paris Nord 2, international business park

o Planet France, offices, luxury hotels, boutiques, gourmet restaurants / ING

o Roissy-CAREX, Transporting freight by high-speed train throughout Europe

o World Trade Center - Roissy Paris CDG, an international business complex with congress, conference and exhibition facilities, as well as hotels and restaurant units

Institutions:

o City of Tremblay-en-France

o Roissy Development

About Aerotropolis Europe™

Created in December 2009, the Aerotropolis Europe association, which gathers 11 members, private and institutional investors, aims to promote the Paris economic region and to attract investors and businesses in order to create synergies. The members, including Aéroville/ Unibail-Rodamco, FedEx Express CDG Hub, Golf Park/ Roissy en France, Les grands champs/ Euro-chinese trade center and global hub for sustainable energies, Parc Mail/ Dixence, Paris Nord 2, Planet France/ ING, Roissy-CAREX, Roissy Développement, Tremblay-en-France City and World Trade Center – Roissy Paris CDG, will invest more than 3 billion Euros in the Paris region business development in the coming 4 years.