Introduction

 Nice Côte d'Azur Airport has been around for almost one hundred years - at least the airfield has. It has grown, admittedly, but the city has also spread out and densified quite considerably. Nice can be described as an "urban" airport. The French Riviera boasts other characteristics that influence the airport's development: 80% of its population lives on a narrow strip of coast hemmed in by mountains; rail transport is not fast enough; and road access into the region is saturated.
The French Riviera's huge attraction in terms of tourism and business, plus the lack of alternative modes of transport, go some way to explaining the reasons for the airport's growth.

The airport is a key factor in the region's economic development and therefore a focal point.

Controlling the pollution it generates - and possibly reducing it - is the key to the airport's future development.