As we enter the last day at this year’s event in Budapest and discuss over breakfast the amazing entertainment provided by the team at Budapest Airport at last night’s Networking Evening, we now start to turn our attention to next year. As has already been revealed, the Routes Europe event will return to France in 2014 and will take place in Marseille and will be hosted by Marseille-Provence Airport.

Speaking to The HUB last night ahead of tomorrow’s formal handover ceremony, David Stroud, Executive Vice President for Routes said: “After this year’s successful event in Budapest we are eagerly awaiting next year’s Routes Europe in Marseille. France is one of the biggest aviation markets in Europe and is the most popular leisure destination in the world. Moreover, the airport has been doing excellent work to accommodate both full service and low cost carriers. These factors lead us to believe we can increase airline and airport attendance even beyond this year's figures.”

“After this year’s successful event in Budapest we are eagerly awaiting next year’s Routes Europe in Marseille.  France is one of the biggest aviation markets in Europe and is the most popular leisure destination in the world.  Moreover, the airport has been doing excellent work to accommodate both full service and low cost carriers.  These factors lead us to believe we can increase airline and airport attendance even beyond this year's figures.”

David Stroud
Executive Vice President, Routes

Marseille-Provence was founded over 2,600 years ago and Marseille is the second largest city in France after Paris and the regional capital of Southern France. Combining Mediterranean mildness with Provence’s quality of life the area attracts some 10 million tourists every year. World class sites such as Provence, St Tropez, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence and Arles, as well as ski resorts in the Southern Alps are all within easy reach.

After several years of some of the biggest urban investments and building projects in Europe, the new Marseille, is ready and waiting at the heart of the ever gorgeous Provence. With its new hotels, new luxury shopping centres and new museums, Marseille ranked No. 2 in the recent New York Times list of ‘Places to Go This Year’.

“Marseille-Provence Airport is proud and honoured to host the Routes Europe event in 2014, and to share all of the new opportunities that are being unveiled at this very moment, as the new Marseille is also this year’s European Capital of Culture,” said Pierre Regis, Managing Director, Marseille-Provence Airport.

The facility, in South East France on the Mediterranean, is ideally located at the intersection of air, rail and road networks. It is the gateway to the South of France – to Marseille, to Provence, and to the French Riviera. In 2012, the airport registered the strongest growth among major French airports, and came in 4th out of the 80 biggest airports in Europe (source: ACI). With 8.3 million passengers in 2012 and 13 per cent growth, Marseille-Provence Airport gained 1 million passengers in one year! In 2013 the airport is now connected to 30 countries, with 28 scheduled carriers flying into 100 different airports.