The 'hole' without civil flights around Paris during the opening of the Olympic Games

This Friday, on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games, the city of Paris is experiencing an unprecedented situation.

A fabulous video that shows the aircraft and the power of France's military aviation
A flight of a French Rafale fighter in Denmark demonstrating its extreme maneuverability

Due to the security risks, the French Air Defence and Air Operations Command (CDAOA) has organised a special air security device to ensure air protection during the event. A temporary no-fly zone has been set up around the city of Paris for all unauthorized aircraft and a temporary restricted area with controlled access.

This operation is staffed by E-3F Sentry AWACS aircraft and Dassault Rafale fighters (above) to monitor any larger aircraft that might stray into the no-fly zone. The Rafales are also supported by two A-330 MRTT tanker aircraft, which are circling Paris to remain airborne while the surveillance operation continues.

In addition, the French Air Force has deployed Pilatus PC-21 turboprop training aircraft (above) to be able to locate and, if necessary, eliminate possible smaller intruders: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones.

The device is completed with Aérospatiale AS-555 Fennec helicopters of the French Air Force (above these lines) to collaborate in the detection of drones and other possible threats.

In addition, this security bubble is completed by a no-fly zone for all civilian flights within a 150km radius around Paris, from 6.30pm to midnight CET this Friday. Flights to Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais airports in Paris were halted at 17:30 CET. This no-fly zone also includes other French cities such as Orléans, Troyes, Reims, Amiens and Rouen.

Above we can see the air activity in France last Friday at 16:11 UTC, shown by Flightradar24. Below we can see the "hole" with no civil flights that has formed this afternoon.

The CDAOA released this image of the Paris exclusion zone at 18:30 UCT. Let's hope everything goes smoothly and the only news to comment on is the sporting successes of those taking part in these games.

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Images: Armée de l'Air.