Seventy years after its first flight, the Nord 2501 Noratlas serial number 105, registered F-AZVM, is scheduled to take part in parachute operations at Perpignan-La Salanque in southern France from 12 to 15 October 2026. Its preservation association describes it as the world’s last airworthy Noratlas, a remarkable survivor of France’s post-war military transport fleet.
The Noratlas de Provence association lists Perpignan-La Salanque as its next mission, with parachuting activities planned over the four-day period. This is an operational schedule, not a promise of a public airshow or daily flying displays. Weather and maintenance can affect historic aircraft operations: the association separately reported that its early-October Carcassonne programme was cancelled because of the weather.
From military transport to flying heritage
F-AZVM first flew on 24 May 1956 and entered French Air Force service in June that year. Over the following three decades it served a succession of military transport units, including roles linked to airborne operations. Association records place it among the aircraft deployed during the 1956 Suez campaign. When its operational career ended at Toulouse-Francazal on 26 June 1986, the aircraft had logged 10,772 flying hours, according to France’s Fondation du patrimoine.
Its survival was far from assured. After years out of service, volunteers began the difficult task of returning the twin-engined transport to flying condition. The heritage foundation credits the restoration to approximately 24,000 hours of volunteer work over three years. The aircraft’s return-to-flight date, 29 May 1995, marked the restoration of an operational aircraft rather than the creation of a static museum display.
French official recognition followed. The Ministry of Culture’s Palissy heritage database records a historic-monument protection order dated 21 February 2007 for Noratlas no. 105. Some association histories use a nearby date later that month; the official administrative record establishes the date of the order. Keeping an aircraft both protected as heritage and capable of flight places particular demands on maintenance, spare parts and specialist knowledge.
Why this aircraft matters beyond France
The Noratlas is instantly recognisable by its high wing, two piston-engine nacelles and distinctive twin-boom tail, with a central fuselage suited to carrying troops, freight and parachutists. Developed for military transport in the post-war era, it represents a generation of aircraft in which payload access and rugged operational flexibility were paramount. Seeing one airborne communicates the sounds, proportions and operating practices of that era in a way a static exhibit cannot.
As of 15 October, the advertised Perpignan mission window is ending. The programme should therefore be understood as an association schedule, not a guarantee of public displays still available to attend. Keeping an historic transport aircraft airworthy requires specialist maintenance, volunteer expertise and sustained funding. Each planned sortie reflects that less visible preservation effort.
The term last flying Noratlas needs careful qualification. It does not mean no other Nord 2501 airframes exist: other aircraft survive in museums and collections. Rather, the association identifies F-AZVM as the sole remaining airworthy example. Nor does the Perpignan deployment mean the aircraft is permanently based there; its operator is the Provence association.
For aviation enthusiasts hoping to see the aircraft, the prudent course is to check the association’s latest operational updates and local airfield access rules. Published mission dates alone do not establish an admission programme, spectator arrangements or guaranteed flight times.
More aviation fleet history: Lufthansa’s planned final Airbus A340-600 flight, another milestone in the evolution of European aviation.
Sources: Noratlas de Provence, 2026 programme; Fondation du patrimoine, aircraft history; French Ministry of Culture, Palissy inventory; Aerobuzz, restoration background.
Archive photograph: Nord 2501 Noratlas F-AZVM, Hahnweide, 3 September 2011. Julian Herzog / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Resized image, not taken in Perpignan in 2026.
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