Air Lagon Parapente is the pioneer of paragliding in Reunion Island. Its founder, John Jourdain, flew the island's opening paragliding flight in November 1984, from the heights of Saint-Leu. He was flying alongside the inventors of the discipline, at a time when equipment was still handmade. The school has worked the same slopes since, which gives its instructors a fine reading of local conditions. Four decades on a single massif build a knowledge of the terrain. Tourist traffic does not replace it. The site of Les Colimaçons, where it all began, remains the main launch of the company. The lagoon of Saint-Leu is flown there all year round. The company has passed forty years of activity. It remains the oldest paragliding school on the island. No other operator claims comparable seniority in Saint-Leu, nor on the heights of the Maïdo.
Air Lagon operates from Saint-Leu, on the west coast of Reunion Island, minutes away from the lagoon. Tandem paragliding flights launch from Les Colimaçons, at 800 metres, and cross the sugar cane fields and the Mascarins botanical conservatory before reaching the turquoise water and its coral barrier. Two further departures complete the setup: a private site at 1,600 metres above the primary forest, and the Maïdo at 2,200 metres facing the cirque of Mafate. Landing happens beside the lagoon, a few hundred metres from Kélonia. The meeting point sits at the north entrance of the town, near Kélonia. Parking there is free. The lines of the Kar'ouest network serve the spot. A shuttle drives passengers up to the launch strip of Les Colimaçons in about ten minutes.
With over 42 years of experience and 50,000 flights flown, Air Lagon is the only paragliding operator in Reunion Island holding the Qualité Tourisme label. That certification is issued by the ministry responsible for tourism and requires a regular audit of the service. The company has also received the Reunion Island Tourism Trophy, awarded for the quality of its welcome. Every instructor holds the state Brevet, the only qualification allowing paid supervision of tandem flights in France. Equipment meets the EN 926-1, EN 926-2 and EN 1651 standards, and is checked daily before the opening rotation up to Les Colimaçons. The Google listing of the company shows a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. The review count passes four hundred. The certification also requires a complaints procedure, audited at the Saint-Leu office.
Flights are open from age 4 and 20 kilos, up to 120 kilos, with no experience and no physical preparation required. They are supervised by instructors holding the state Brevet, who keep the controls from launch to landing. 5 packages are offered from Saint-Leu: Vol Découverte (90 euros, 15-20 min from 800 m), Vol Long (100 euros, 25-30 min from 800 m), Vol Extra Long (115 euros, 30-40 min from 800 m), Vol Panoramique (140 euros, 25-30 min from 1600 m), and Vol du Maïdo (299 euros, 45-60 min from 2200 m). They differ on three variables: time aloft, launch altitude and the landscape below, from the lagoon of Saint-Leu to the cirque of Mafate. The photo and video option, filmed on a pole during the flight, attaches to any of them for twenty euros. Acrobatics become available from the Vol Extra Long upwards, at the passenger's request and always with the instructor's agreement. A weather postponement stays free of charge and the team at Saint-Leu offers another slot.
Air Lagon long ran a second activity, separate from tandem flying: solo pilot training. Hundreds of local pilots learned to fly there, on the slopes above Saint-Leu and on the sites of western Reunion Island. The founder of the Air Lagon school had organised the earliest course ever held on the island, with the inventors of paragliding. That activity has come to an end. The company no longer trains solo pilots, no longer prepares anyone for the pilot licence and no longer enrols students. Anyone who wants to learn to fly alone has to turn to another organisation on the island. Tandem flights, for their part, carry on unchanged, from Les Colimaçons and from Le Maïdo. They remain led by instructors holding the Brevet d'État, on certified gear checked every day.
Reunion Island brings together flying conditions few destinations match, with around 300 flyable days a year at the site of Saint-Leu. The south-east trade winds run up the west coast and meet the relief of Les Colimaçons, which produces steady and predictable thermals above Saint-Leu. The dry season, May to November, offers the most stable air and the clearest reading of the lagoon. The austral summer stays flyable but concentrates late-day showers over the Maïdo and the cirque of Mafate. Morning slots gather the calmest air everywhere, from Kélonia to the slopes of the Mascarins. No launch takes place if the pilot has any doubt about the weather, and postponing the flight stays free of charge. Nine slots run daily at Saint-Leu. The earliest leave at seven in the morning. The last launch late in the afternoon, when the light grazes the lagoon and the heights of the Maïdo.
The reputation of Air Lagon rests on public, verifiable reviews. The Google listing of the company shows a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars, over a volume above four hundred reviews. The TripAdvisor profile carries the same rating across more than two hundred contributions. Passengers there most often cite the professionalism of the instructors and the quality of the welcome. The company also holds the Qualité Tourisme label. No other paragliding operator on the island has obtained it. The Reunion Island Tourism Trophy was awarded to it for the quality of its service. These distinctions require an external audit, which sets them apart from a mere claim. The reviews stay readable without an account. The volume grows each season. The rating has not shifted since the last check on the Saint-Leu listing.
The meeting point is taken near Kélonia, at the north entrance of Saint-Leu, fifteen minutes before the agreed time. Parking there is free. Lines 30, 31, 37 and 42 of the Kar'ouest network serve the spot for anyone arriving without a car. A shuttle drives the group up to the strip of Les Colimaçons, at 800 metres. The climb takes about ten minutes on the mountain road. Passengers on the Vol du Maïdo are driven higher, to the rampart overlooking the cirque of Mafate. Landing happens in every case beside the lagoon, a few hundred metres from the departure point. The return to Kélonia is handled by the team. Allow one hour to two and a half hours on site. The duration depends on the package and on how busy the slot is.
A paragliding flight can be given as a gift card, bought online on the platform of Air Lagon. Eight cards cover the packages departing from Saint-Leu, from 90 to 160 euros depending on duration and the photo option. The card arrives by email, attached to the purchase confirmation. The buyer forwards it to the recipient. Validity runs for twelve months. The recipient picks a slot whenever they wish, among the nine offered each day. The Vol du Maïdo, a free amount and postal delivery are ordered by phone or on WhatsApp from the team at Kélonia. A weather postponement does not consume the card. The remaining validity is preserved. A gifted flight books like any other, with no extra charge at Saint-Leu. The recipient pays nothing on site. Only the photo option may be added at the launch of Les Colimaçons.