Airports re-open after storms

PARTS of France battered by 140kmh winds are returning to normal after disruption to power supplies and transport.

Both main airports serving Paris, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, were closed for the first time in 34 years at 20.00 last night as high winds struck in the north and west.

Air France said it had cancelled 210 flights, and has booked more than 2,000 hotel rooms for stranded passengers.

The first flights began again this morning just before 9.00 and more flights were expected from 10.00.

A spokesman for Air France said: “All long haul flights planned to leave Paris-Charles de Gaulle after 10.00 will be operating, throughout the day. However there will be significant delays to both departures and arrivals.”

Ferries were also affected with services between Brittany and nearby islands suspended, operators Oceane and Penn Ar Bed said. Services are expected to be back to normal this afternoon.

Brittany Ferries’ inaugural sailing of its €120 million ship the Armorique from Roscoff to Plymouth was cancelled yesterday however a spokesman said services were back to normal today.

600,000 homes are without electricity, however there was less damage caused by the winds than expected.

The Charente-Maritime has been “severely affected” with 240,000 homes without power. A spokesman for ERDF said the number should be reduced quickly to under 100,000.

In the Vendée, around 124,000 homes were affected and 340,000 in the Centre, Limousin and Auvergne regions.

The storm, which has been called Quentin, was this morning heading east towards Nord-Pas-de-Calais and the Ardennes. 55 departments in the centre, the north and the east of France are still on an orange alert from Météo France.

Photo: Afp/Philippe Huguen