Aéroport international du Castellet

On the 1,000 hectares of plateau he acquired between Marseille and Toulon, Paul Ricard, forever motivated by innovation and development, constructed in 1962 the largest private airfield in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.

The landing strip at Le Castellet covered a distance of 1,000 metres and allowed for VFR (Visual Flight Rules) operation.

Positioned on an upland, at the time free of all trade and industry development, it was above all a private airfield. In 1970, the construction of the Paul Ricard Circuit nearby created a business dynamic for the first time on Le Castellet.
In 1972, Paul Ricard invested in improvements to the runway, lengthening it from 1,000 to 1,750 metres, thus allowing to welcome business and private airplanes of up to 50 tonnes.

Over twenty years, Le Castellet Airport saw intense periods of activity due to business and private aviation, notably with the arrival of the first F1 French Grand Prix on the Paul Ricard Circuit in 1971, and more recently, with the creation of the Signes Business Park, located only a few kilometres from the airfield.
Nevertheless, from 1972 to 1999, no investment was made at the airfield. In May 1999, the company Excelis S.A. acquired the location (airfield and circuit) refurbished and modernised the installations.