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# [RÉUNION] Pierrefonds Airport: €5.6M Deficit, 90% Traffic Collapse and Ghost Flights
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/la-reunion-pierrefonds-deficit-a-5-6-meu-trafic-90-et-vols-fantomes-le-sud-se-debat-en/
- Published: 2026-07-25T08:51:31.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-25T08:51:31.000Z
- Description: A €5.6M deficit, 90% traffic collapse in five years, a president who resigned after 13 days, and a Durban flight postponed three times. Pierrefonds airport is fighting for survival.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: La Réunion, tourisme, Économie, Flash de mi-journée, #en

**Réunion's southern airport is battling for survival.** Pierrefonds has accumulated setbacks over recent months: its newly elected president resigned after just 13 days in office, the long-awaited Durban flight has been postponed three times, and a structural deficit exceeding €5.6 million weighs on the facility. A commercial court hearing took place on July 6, 2026 to determine the airport's future. The outcome is still pending.

## Collapsed traffic, fragile governance

The figures tell the story: Pierrefonds recorded **50,600 departing passengers** in 2019\. By 2024, that figure had fallen to **5,000** — a 90% collapse in five years. A November 2025 audit by France's regional audit chamber flagged « governance failures » and a financial model described as « unsustainable ».

On May 26, 2026, Marina Adigadou was elected president of the Syndicat mixte de Pierrefonds. By June 8, she had resigned, citing « personal reasons ». Her successor was due to be elected on June 19, 2026, inheriting a facility under judicial restructuring.

## The Durban route: symbol of dashed hopes

The inaugural flight to Durban, South Africa, was first scheduled for **February 27, 2026**, then pushed back to May 1, then to July 3\. On that date, no plane landed at Pierrefonds. Operators Global Aviation Operations and Fly Vétiv'Air cited « infrastructure, operational coordination and procedure adjustments for Airbus A320 operations ».

On a brighter note, France's civil aviation authority (DGAC) validated the facility during a regulatory inspection from March 2–5, 2026, confirming it meets aviation safety standards. Seven private operators submitted ten proposals to revive airport activities.

## Why it matters

Pierrefonds is more than an airport for southern Réunion — it is an economic lifeline for a territory where unemployment exceeds 18%. A direct link to Durban or other Indian Ocean destinations would be a major driver of tourism and trade. Repeated failures to launch commercial flights are eroding the region's attractiveness and leaving Réunion taxpayers financing a facility with no visible return on investment.