Charles de Gaulle Airport several smaller airfields in the suburbs of Paris, and other airports directly or indirectly worldwide. The planning and construction phase of what was known then as "Aéroport de Paris Nord" (Paris North Airport) began in 1966. On 8 March 1974 the airport, renamed Charles de Gaulle Airport, opened. Terminal 1 was built in an avant-garde design of a ten-floors-high circular building surrounded by seven satellite buildings, each with six gates allowing sunlight to enter through apertures. The main architect was Paul Andreu, who was also in charge of the extensions during the following decades. Following the introduction of the brand
Paris–Le Bourget Airport crossing in 1927 in the "Spirit of St. Louis", and had been the departure point two weeks earlier for the French biplane "The White Bird (L'Oiseau blanc)", which took off in its own attempt at a transatlantic flight but then mysteriously disappeared. On 25 June 1940, Adolf Hitler began his first and only tour of Paris, with Albert Speer and an entourage, from Le Bourget Airport. On 16 June 1961, the Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defected at Le Bourget Airport. In 1977, Le Bourget was closed to international airline traffic and in 1980 to regional airline traffic, but remains