Threat to Poitiers’ UK flights

The CCI funds one third, with the city of Poitiers and the Vienne department (€700,000 each). But CCI communications director Stéphane de Dianous said it cannot afford to do so in 2018 because the government is cutting its grant to the CCI by 17%, which is €700,000 less.

Poitiers-Biard’s only direct foreign flights are to Stanstead and Edinburgh, with Ryanair.

The CCI will decide this month, but it does not plan to stop the funding, just lower it.

“We’ve been involved for 45 years and know it’s important to businesses and to British visitors and second-home owners.

“We want to put pressure on the regional council to help. It says we should be satisfied that we have a new TGV line this year, but that’s not going to bring people from the UK – all it does is to get us to Paris faster.

“We have direct flights to European destinations from Poitiers, we don’t want people to have to go to Paris for flights.”