Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

CDG originated in 1957, as a search for a new location commenced once it became apparent that the other two airports serving Paris, Le Bourget and Orly, were oversaturated and couldn’t expand sufficiently due to their urban surroundings. An area was selected near the town of Roissy, which at the time was primarily agricultural land with few buildings that would need to be removed. Construction began in 1964, and as the country was very much into large-scale development projects at the time, CDG was no different (for comparison, London Heathrow occupies 4.7 square miles, making CDG almost three times as large). As the Boeing 747 was introduced, CDG was constructed with large aircraft in mind. This included the two main runways, 11,811 feet long, and large taxiways.
Moreover, there was a lot of space left over for future construction. Initially, the airport was to be named Paris-Nord Airport and then later Roissy to match the town where it was located. However, after former French President Charles de Gaulle passed away in 1970, the airport was renamed in his honor. CDG officially opened in 1974, with one main (ten floors high) terminal (still used as Terminal 1 today), which was lauded for its avant-garde yet functional design, featuring a circular ‘octopus’ design opening onto seven satellites surrounding it, thereby allowing for the maximization of space while keeping commute times low. The number of passengers served by the airport grew quickly, from 2.5 million in its first year to 7.5 million in 1976.
Moreover, a new runway and a rail connection to the city opened that year. That same year the Concorde aircraft debuted at CDG, and they were regularly in use at the airport until their retirement in 2003. Terminal 2 opened in 1981, designed in the more traditional linear style, and has been expanded over the years into separate terminals, numbered 2A to 2G. As such, Terminal 2B was completed in March 1982. In 1989 Terminal 2D was completed, with Terminal 2C completed in 1993 (entirely dedicated to international flights). Furthermore, Terminal 2E opened in 2003 as a dedicated space for Air France and its partners (its roof partially collapsed in May 2004, killing four people and closing until 2008). A third terminal was built in 1990 for charter flights, and it was expanded in 2003 and renamed Terminal 3.

The airport is located in Roissy-en-France, 14 miles northeast of Paris. 

• Terminal 1 became home to Iranian refugee Mehran Karimi Nasseri (also known as Sir Alfred Mehran) for 18 years. His story inspired the 1993 film "Lost In Transit" and the 2004 film "The Terminal." 
• Until 2005, every airport announcement was preceded by a distinctive chime, nicknamed "Indicatif Roissy" and composed by Bernard Parmegiani in 1971. The chime can be heard in the Roman Polanski film Frantic. The chime was officially replaced by the "Indicatif ADP" chime. 
• A direct express link from Paris to CDG, the CDG Express, is scheduled for completion in 2003. 
• FBOs at CDG include Jetex Paris, G-OPS, ASTONSKY, and Signature Flight Support.