fromYYZ_flyer

Hello,

Does anyone know which years AC used to serve ORY, Paris Orly Airport in France and with what aircraft? I recall they had a 74E go nose up after cargo was unloaded/loaded in-correctly.

Thanks

NordsFan

fromYYZ_flyer, I don't have an exact answer for you, but I can tell you that I've been flying AC to Paris since SEPT 1994 and have always gone through CDG 2A.

In that time I've flown on the following equipment : 747 (2 variants of that a/c), A340, A330 and 763 (mostly when flying via YYZ).

I think CDG opened in the mid-70's (1974 ?) so a fair bit of activity must have shifted from ORY to CDG at that time. I also recall seeing AC crews on 870-871 wearing "50 years" pins celebrating that anniversary of the YUL-Paris link; this was 2 or 3 years ago; someone else here might have more precise info on that.

I recall the photo you're referring to; perhaps this was an all-cargo AC aircraft that had that problem at ORY ? (does AC even have all-cargo a/c ?)

Shareholder

Roissy-de-Paris, later renamed after Charles deGaulle, was completed in 1974 and opened initially for overseas flight to/from the French capital. AC would have left Orly and transferred passenger operations to CDG that year, while European airlines and French domestic flights continued to operate from the southern airport until the AF terminals were completed and that carrier, and other intra-European carriers, moved to CDG, operating between T1 and T2. T1 at CDG shared many characteristics with T1 at YYZ, being of roughly the same architectural vintage.

So CDG predates AC's introduction of 747s. The incident you refer to may have been an all freight service on special ops into Orly.

BTW, the new Tom Hanks movie is based on a true story of a man who has been living at CDG T1, unable to leave due to his lack of valid passport.

fromYYZ_flyer

I remember my father saying he used ORY via AC DC8. Last time he was in France he said he was on a 767, CDG of course. There is still a link to ORY from YMX with Corsair and Transat I believe.

NordsFan, AC did have all Cargo DC8s and now I believe they wet leased 2 727s from All Canada Express. Wouldn't it be nice if they painted them in the Retro 70s AC scheme?

NordsFan

SH, that guy was regularly a feature on French news shows a few years ago; I'm not exactly sure if he's still currently at CDG T1; I think I saw him back in 2000 when flying to LHR on BD, I'll be there this coming Sunday 13JUNE and I'll ask the BD check-in staff.

exAC

The 74E that sat on its tail was at ORY for maintenance by Air France. The cargo was onboard to help defray the cost of flying the aircraft from Canada.

NordsFan

I think Air Transat (TS) mostly flies into CDG T3 (formerly called T9 until about 2 years ago) where charter flights arrive for the most part, although in April I arrived at the T2A satellite where the AC YUL-CDG flights usually arrive/depart to see a TS a/c parked at one of the terminal's main gates. I wanted to ask one of the AC station coordinators what was up with that but didn't see them when deplaning.

TS has CDG service from YMX and YQB and some other Canadian departure points.

ALW

Here's a picture: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/065822/M/

Tom Hanks movie a real story? I'm not saying it isn't, I just assumed it would be another poor remake of an old movie, in this case Ferry to Hong Kong. Or maybe not.

BTW, The Terminal is set in NYC.

andrew

fromYYZ_flyer

Last summer a lot of European flights went Europe-YMX-YYZ. YMX has turned into a charter base for Transat and Skyservice. Corsair flies there in the summer. A lot of cargo is also routed through there instead of YUL. Is there a reason why AC parks at the remote area without gates or is just a question of space?

NordsFan

The YUL flights (870 inbound, 871 outbound) usually docks at gate A39 in satellite A of T2A when it arrives on time and maintains its slot. There is direct access to the gate and the MLL is in that section of the terminal; it is quite a far walk from the check-in area.

880-881 from/to YYZ generally uses gates A40, 41, 42 or 43 (as does 870-871 when arriving late). This area is just past security. Again if the time slot is respected, the gates give direct access to the a/c.

When delay causes loss of the usual gate spots, the planes park just away from the terminal building and pax deplane in one of 2 ways : 1) PTVs which rise up to the exit doors or 2) by going down mobile stairs to board ADP buses; the buses and the PTVs take you to T2A just near gate A43. In the past, when boarding for flights was necessary in this way, we would drive right by Concorde which was powering up its engines on auxiliary power for its flight to JFK; very nosiy and impressive from less tha 100ft away !

These PTVs are almost identical to the one which used to be at YMX, some of which are now in use at YUL; they are used when the inbound international flight docks at a domestic gate; pax board the PTVs and are tranported to a door which gives access to the Customs-Immigration arrivals hall.

I'm not sure of the gate arrangements for the 2nd daily summer flights from/to YUL (884-885) and YYZ (882-883).

Pax on TS flights at T3 deplane using mobile stairs and board ADP buses for a short ride to the terminal.

Check www.adp.fr for information and terminal maps at both ORY and CDG.

Shareholder

A Montreal filmmaker did a documentary about the chap two years ago, which I believe Newsworld ran back then. As noted by Nordfan, it has been a recurring news story, and not sure what the resolution has been. I think he was Arabian and originally had lived in Germany was flying to France -- before EU "no borders" came into effect -- and found he did not have the correct visa for France, but also did not have proper status to get back into Germany. Of course, as AW has noted, how much resemblance to this real story the one in the Tom Hanks film has will be seen when it opens this weekend. Naturally, the location has been changed to the USA.

I don't believe AC got its first 747s until 1975 or '76, though they were ordered in '74 or '75.

Jono

The Urban Legends Website Snopes has a writeup about this true story that was the inspiration for the new Tom Hanks movie. I recall seeing a a news item about him a couple years ago that indicated his mental state has (understandably) deteriorated over the past 15 years, and he has passed up on offers to help resolve his dillema as the Snopes article indicates.