This is an incomprehensible file at first glance. Céleste, a brand new airline (the first created in France in ten years), based in Morlaix (Finistère), in the former premises of the short-lived former Air France subsidiary Hop!, was created last year. When it was created, it quickly received help from both private and public investors (generally in the form of capital or a repayable advance).
With an overall launch budget of just over 8 million euros, its mission was to open up Lower Brittany by taking over, at the first Breton airport, that of Brest-Guipavas, the Brest-Paris-Orly line. abandoned successively in the open countryside by the Air France group (Transavia) then Chalair.
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The operating license, awarded by civil aviation, was initially expected for the end of 2023-beginning of 2024. But now, as April rears its ugly head, that of the unique 100-seat Bombardier CRJ1000 jet, at yellow and black colors, the company has still not taken off over Brittany with passengers on board. Lacking an operating license, Céleste is still grounded.
This Tuesday afternoon, a meeting between regional president Loïg Chesnais-Girard and Damien Caze, director general of civil aviation (DGAC), produced nothing. Contacted, the president of the regional council confirms “the support voted by the regional community for the Céleste company”, specifies that “Damien Caze has taken note of this and, for his part, recalled the rules allowing the allocation of the license expected by Céleste” and declared that “the investigation of this file requires great attention from its teams”.
No certainty therefore on the operating license. “For reasons that are completely beyond our control,” Céleste’s management confides to us. We had indeed submitted a file to Civil Aviation and this license is blocked at the administration level even though we meet all the requested criteria. »
Also read: Quimper-Orly, it’s already over!
Latest disappointment, which results from this situation: “We lost the slots (time slots) allocated last year because… we still do not have an operating license. It's the snake that bites its own tail! » It is true that the slots in question had unusually been allocated in advance to Céleste which was logically supposed to replace a service which existed until recently, with Transavia then Chalair.
“When we have, and we really hope so, our operating license, we will reapply for the slots,” announces our interlocutor to the young company, which was to employ, at its launch, around thirty people. For the moment, she remains unanswered and has contacted the highest levels at the Ministry of Transport, to try to resolve the situation.
In the meantime, Bretons, whether individuals or economic actors, will have to settle for more expensive and time-consuming solutions to get to Paris. A regular historical and “necessary” link, according to the municipalities and businesses in the area. The train journey between Brest and Paris lasts four hours on average, with the high-speed line between Rennes and Le Mans making it possible to travel from Rennes to Paris in 1 hour 25 minutes. Another solution is the car, but then you have to plan for a 6-hour journey. As much as with Ouibus type coaches, still relatively few in number and not very accessible at ordinary times.