Rennes Bretagne airport celebrates its 90th anniversary and inaugurates the “Entre rétrospective et perspectives” exhibition

26th July 2023

Rennes Bretagne airport, jointly operated by the Ille-et-Vilaine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and VINCI Airports, celebrated its 90th anniversary on Wednesday 14 June.

Designed for the occasion, the exhibition “Entre rétrospective et perspectives”, which retraces the successive roles taken on by Rennes Bretagne airport since its creation in 1933, was inaugurated in the presence of Michael Quernez, First Vice-President in charge of Mobility and Climate for the Brittany Region, Jean-Philippe Roudier and Laurent Giboire, representatives of the Ille-et-Vilaine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of VINCI Concessions and Chairman of VINCI Airports, and Chivoine Rem, Director of  Rennes and Dinard airports.

From the beginnings of aviation to the developments of the 2010s, from the original field to the international airport of today, Rennes airport has gradually established itself as a fundamental tool for opening up Brittany, and then as a central infrastructure serving regional dynamism and the mobility of the people of Brittany.

The exhibition, open to the public in the terminal until mid-September, retraces the five major eras that have shaped Rennes airport:

  • 1933: The creation of an airfield for Brittany
  • 1935 – 1945: Rennes airport, an air camp and advanced military base in Brittany
  • 1952 – 1970: Rennes airport, key to the gradual opening up of Western France
  • 1970 – 2010: The growth of an infrastructure serving Brittany’s connectivity
  • Since 2010: The Ille-et-Vilaine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and VINCI Airports, driving forces behind the development of Rennes Bretagne airport

To mark the occasion, a conference on the theme of “Local airports, pivotal to regional transition?” was held on Wednesday 14 June at Rennes Bretagne airport, bringing together around a hundred local decision-makers from the airport’s catchment area (local authorities, institutional, economic and tourism players, local businesses) to discuss the challenges facing air transport and the future role of Rennes Bretagne airport – a local airport par excellence – as a pivotal point in the region’s many transitions.