A statue in memory of Charles de Gaulle in London (Photo: Chris O)
Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), also known as Roissy Airport or just Roissy, is one of the busiest and most important airports in the world. It is named after Charles de Gaulle, the former French president who led the Free French Forces during the Second World War before establishing the French Fifth Republic, the constitution under which France operates today.
It is a huge airport, located 16 miles north-east of Paris, which extends over 12.5 square miles (Heathrow, by comparison, covers 4.7 square miles). It was originally known as Aéroport de Paris Nord (Paris North Airport), but it was re-opened as Paris-Charles de Gaulle in March 1974 after eight years of reconstruction that made it one of the most stunning and modern airports in the world.