On Thursday 14 May at 10.00 am, 17 aircraft are set to take off from Toulouse-Lasbordes airfield, France, in the footsteps of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince”, marking the 80th anniversary of the book’s first publication in France.
The 10-day, 6,000-kilometre journey aims to reach Tarfaya, formerly known as Cap Juby, the town where the famous pilot and writer served as airfield commander for 18 months in 1927 and 1928.
Launched in 2022 by Air Aventures with the support of the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Foundation for Youth (FASEJ), this air rally comes in addition to the “Toulouse-Saint Louis du Sénégal” rally, which has been retracing the route of the Latécoère and Aéropostale airlines every autumn for over 40 years. This rally however pays specific tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, whose 100th anniversary of joining the Latécoère routes will be celebrated next October.
Beyond its historical, heritage and cultural significance, this air rally supports an educational project: “Le bivouac Du Sable et des Étoiles”. Launched in 2023 by the FASEJ with the support of one of the crews, it enables the children in Tarfaya to take part in art classes and astronomy workshops.
This year, a new telescope and a spotting scope, donated by the same crew, will complete the equipment for stargazing in the middle of the desert. Additionally, two laptops are being donated by Air Aventures to the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Museum in Tarfaya.
Finally, the monument paying tribute to the crews of the Lignes Latécoère and Aéropostale, recently renovated by Air Aventures, will be unveiled on 17 May, in the presence of the authorities, to mark the Rally’s passage through Tarfaya / Cap Juby.
Robin, Cirrus, Cessna, Piper-Cheyenne… 15 light aircraft, from all over France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, will be escorted by the organization’s two aircraft.
Registration is open for the 2027 edition.
