The regional chamber of accounts carried out the control of the airport of Castres-Mazamet. If it is in good financial health, the CCI will have to withdraw from its management. Explanations.
The Occitanie regional chamber of accounts recently audited the accounts and management of the Castres-Mazamet airport mixed union (SMARCM). The control focused on the governance and financial situation of the establishment, as well as on the operation of the airport platform.
Created in the 1980s at the initiative mainly of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Castres to support the project of a local airport, the mixed union is today made up of two inter-municipal authorities, 16 municipalities, the Tarn departmental council, the Tarn CCI and, for over a year, the Occitanie region. Owner of the airport platform, the mixed union has delegated its operation to the Tarn CCI, through a contract qualified as “affermage”, until April 2024.
However, and this is not a surprise to anyone, this situation poses a problem for the regional audit office, since the ICC finds itself both judge and party, with therefore a possible conflict of interest. “This is not a discovery for us, explains Michel Dhomps, the president of the mixed union. We had anticipated this recommendation and of course that we will follow it.” Understand that by 2024, the CCI will completely withdraw from the management structure. “Even if nothing is reproached to us in this report, it is true that there is a risk which could exist”, continues the president.
Gradual disengagement
The CCI and the other members of SMARCM are therefore thinking about setting up a management structure that will be different. “It is still too early to announce a new manager, we have two years left, but the withdrawal of the CCI is gradual, underlines Michel Dhomps. Already because the CCIs no longer have the right to invest the money from the Room Fee Tax (TFC) and above all because our structure is on a meager basis: we no longer have the means to provide this type of service. “
In any case, the future of the airport is not threatened. Castres is linked to Paris by a public service obligation line, operated by Air France, which now subcontracts this service to the Amelia company. Before the Covid, the airport generated 70 jobs in the region and nearly 2 million euros of added value and had an attendance of more than 45,000 passengers.
The impact of the health crisis on the operation of the airport appears even less important than that observed on the sector at the national level.
The motorway, complementary
“This airport is vital for our territory, explains Michel Dhomps. We created it in an economic interest for companies.”
Since 1995, no new infrastructure has improved the opening up of the south of the department. If the motorway project linking Castres to Toulouse is underway, its opening is not expected before 2024. “The motorway is a very good thing for us, underlines the president. It will bring us closer to Toulouse, but that will not change the problem of isolation at the national level. It will be a complementary service but the question will always be raised of how to attract companies and employees. “
Connectivity to the Paris-Orly airport platform is indeed a major issue for the local industrial fabric. A study of the Occitanie region indicates that the Castres-Paris link supports an economic activity of nearly 50 million euros of gross domestic product, including 24 linked to local businesses. A dozen customers would represent 40% of the line’s turnover. This connectivity would even be insufficient in view of the global potential of certain companies.
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