France is to open its first airport dedicated to low-cost airlines on Wednesday in Marseille, the southeastern port city.

 

The hub has the capability to accommodate up to six flights at any given time and up to 3.5 million passengers per year. And some 1,000,000 passengers are expected to travel through the hub in 2007, AFP reported on Tuesday.

 

The new airport is adjacent to the Marseille Provence airport, which has a current annual traffic of some 400,000 low-cost airlines passengers.

 

"Classic and budget travel are two different markets," the airport's president Jean-Francois Bigay said, responding to the criticism from Air France on the low-cost airport.

 

The passengers traveling on the low-cost airlines cannot be left out of this sector, which is increasing by 25 percent a year as compared to five percent for the traditional market, said Bigay.

 

The neighboring Nice already handles 3.5 million low-budget travelers per year even without a dedicated facility, he said.  

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2006)