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Eric Dumas in Tahiti

31/07/2014 by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert

In a professional career, there sometimes are crucial moments which may tip over one’s life and offer unexpected challenges. Eric Dumas went through this type of upheaval two years ago when an opportunity came up and he decided to move to the other side of our planet in the middle of the South Pacific. Until that time Eric has been Manager of Lyon-Bron airport for more than six years.

“I always appreciated Lyon-Bron for its human dimension and the quality of the local customers generated by the economic dynamics of the second largest French metropolitan area after Paris.
Besides, the closeness of the Alps allows Lyon-Bron Airport to be an interesting alternative to Geneva for Business Aviation clients who are attracted by ski resorts as Courchevel which is located a 35 minute helicopter ride away. To me the city of Lyon remains one of the most beautiful cities of France, which every year attracts an increasing number of tourists from all over the world; particularly during its “Fête des Lumières” (Festival of Lights) each December 8th.”

Eric Dumas had been able to start up several big projects in Lyon-Bron which is the third largest business aviation airport in France. These projects meant a lot to him. Some were realized during his time, others were initiated by him and in the realization phase when he left: new aircrafts hangars, apron extension, runway resurfacing, ISO9001 certification, a new fire station, and the commercial development of the FBO and Executive Handling. After almost seven years of accomplishments the opportunity in French Polynesia came up.

“I landed in Papeete in January, 2013. I was appointed as Chief Operation Officer of four airports in the French overseas department of Polynesia: Tahiti-Faaa, Bora Bora, Raiatea and Rangiroa. The first significant difference from what I was used to in Lyon-Bron was, that there were more A340 and B777 than private and executive jets. Obviously,the types of passengers at the airport are very different also. Even if there is a private aviation movement, it is usually related to tourist attractions. Especially Bora Bora, encourages Americans, Brazilians and Asians to land here with their long-range private aircraft in significant numbers. Long-range, because the nearest continent is six flight hours away from here.”

Tahiti is the ultimate synonym for Paradise in most people’s minds. Papeete is the primary center of Tahitian and French Polynesian public and private governmental, commercial, industrial and financial services, the hub of French Polynesian tourism and a commonly used port of call. The major export of French Polynesia is their famous black Tahitian pearls which accounted for 55% of exports. There are around 130 islands in French Polynesia and 53 airports of which 46 are paved. The islands of French Polynesia have a total land area of 3,521 km2. (1,359 mi2), scattered over 2,500,000 km2 (965,255 mi2) of ocean.

“I have discovered a rich and varied culture here and experieced a radically different way of life. The Polynesian people, their culture, and their hospitaily deserve to be discovered. There is so much more than just the famous gorgeous blue lagoons with the crystal clear waters and the white sandy beaches. I can recommend anyone to fly to Tahiti in July for the annual competition of traditional dance and singing, the ‘HEIVA’. It is a celebration of life.”

In Tahitian, the word ‘Heiva’ refers to activities, pastimes, physical exercise, and festivals. (‘hei‘ means to assemble, and ‘va’ means community places). Music, dancing, singing and sport events have always held an important place in Polynesian communities. In ancient times, they were essential components of religious and political ceremonies. Dance was one of the most sophisticated and ritualized art forms performed in groups or individually. French Polynesia consists of five archipelagoes. While each island group displays a variant of the Polynesian cultural tradition and all are united by a century of central administration, residents maintain cultural identities specific to the home archipelago and home island. These identities are beginning to blend into a general national identity as a result of education, communication networks, and transportation.

“Of course, we have major airport developments here at Tahiti Faa’a Airport. This year €16 million is invested in the arrival area and the baggage handling. One of the biggest challenges is to completely resurface the runway without interrupting traffic. That is not easy when there’s only one airport of this dimension within a 3,000km radius and no alternate!”

The airport in Papeete was originally built on reclaimed land on the coral reef just off-shore of the island of Tahiti and it has a 3,420 m (11,220 ft) runway. Air Tahiti offers daily flights to all the other islands in French Polynesia while thier international flights go to France, Japan, the United States or New Zealand. Also Air France, Air New Zealand, Hawaian Airlines and LAN Chili have Tahiti as their destination.

“Moving from a business airport like Lyon-Bron in the middle of Europe with 7,000 Business Aviation movements and about 12,000 passengers per year, to an airport system in the middle of the South Pacific handling 1,7 million passengers and 34,000 movements at four airport locations was a delicate and fascinating challenge for me. There is still a lot that needs to be done here because, as we say French in business as well as in love: ‘Rien n’est jamais acquis’ (nothing is ever acquired).”