The new environmentalist town hall of Poitiers briefly informed the two Poitiers flying clubs that they would no longer be subsidized.
It is a severe sanction and comes without warning to the two flying clubs of Poitiers. The matter involves “their use of fossil fuels”, which riled the Green mayor (EELV) Léonore Moncond’huy. “Flying must no longer be part of a child’s dreams,” she declared.
The city councillor is convinced that “it is to protect their future to take this type of decision”. She announced at the city council meeting, on March 16, that club leaders will be receiving an expeditious email from the city’s sports policy manager, Maxime Pédeboscq, who explained that “the city of Poitiers does not intend to support motor sport” thus rejecting requests for subsidies.
The fuel consumption of most of the engines used is, however, not the real issue said Jean-Marie Arnault, president of the Poitou flying club.
Caught off guard by the news, he wondered: “What am I going to say to this young model aircraft maker who was French glider category B champion in 2020?” Problematic indeed, because “two years in a row the young people of our club have been French air rally champion and French precision rally champion.”
This controversial measure is set against the backdrop of the tense relations that exist between the departmental council and the elected officials of Grand Poitiers, concerning the Poitiers-Biard airport. Indeed the elected officials of Poitou want to avoid the increase in air traffic at this airport, while the departmental council wishes on the contrary to develop it.