French Airport Guide

France is one of the most important countries in Europe, and is located on the eastern side of the continent. To the north of France, is the United Kingdom; while to the north-east is Germany. Italy borders France on its south-eastern side, and Spain is found to the south-west of the country. France is divided into many smaller provinces, and each has a couple of airports serving the region. There are approximately 400 or more France airports, but only about 200 of these airports are for civil use with paved runways. The other airports are for military use, heliports or those with only grass landing strips. French airports play a major role in the country’s economy, and serve as gateways for tourists from all around the world. France airports are also important for business travel.

The largest of the French airports are found nearby the city of Paris, towards the north of France, and located in the Ile-De-France region. These two airports are known as the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, or the Roissy Airport, and Paris-Orly Airport. Collectively, these two airports serve approximately 85 million passengers per annum. Over 58 million passengers arrive and depart from Charles de Gaulle Airport each year, while Paris Orly handles over 25 million passengers. Charles de Gaulle is also one of the largest airports in the world, and is ranked as the second-largest in Europe, just behind London Heathrow Airport. The Paris Orly Airport was, however, the first airport for the city of Paris, opened in 1932, while Charles de Gaulle followed in the later 1960’s. A couple of other airports are found in Paris as well, including one located just south of Charles de Gaulle, and known as the Paris – Le Bourget Airport, and another as the Paris – Beauvais Tille Airport, to the north of the city.

Towards the south of the country lie many of the other larger French Airports, which include the Nice Cote d’Azur Airport, the Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport, the Marseille-Marignane Airport and Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. Nice Airport is the third-largest airport in France, with its passenger figures exceeding 10 million per annum. It is located just 7 km from the city of Nice, and is found in the Provence-Alpes-Cote D’Azur. Marseille Airport is nearby, and along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. This airport serves the second-largest city in France, and Marseille is also famous for being the oldest city in the country. Toulouse Airport is found in the Midi-Pyrenees region of France, while Lyon Airport lies to the north-east, in the Rhone-Alpes region. These two airports each handle over six million passengers per annum. Other French Airports nearby these popular and larger airports include the Aix Les Bains Airport, serving Chambery, Montpellier Airport, the Caumont Airport serving Avignon and the Marcillac Airport, serving Rodez.

On the western side of the country, French airports include Bordeaux International Airport, the Limoges – Bellegarde Airport, the Nantes Atlantique Airport, Laleu Airport at La Rochelle and the Carpiquet Airport in Caen, while on the eastern side of France are the Dijon Longvic Airport, the Strasbourg Airport, the Reims Champagne Airport and the Metz-Nancy (Lorraine) Airport.

The Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is a hub for the airline carrier of Air France, which is one of the main airline companies serving the France Airports. From many of the airports, flights are offered to the United Kingdom, by airline companies such as British Airways, Easyjet, Flybe and Ryanair. The popular UK destinations from France include the London Airports of Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh, while there are also many flights offered by a variety of companies to Spain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Long haul flights travel to American destinations, such as Miami, Los Angeles and New York, as well as to China and South Africa, and some of the many airline carriers which serve the French airports include Lufthansa, American Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Air Europa, Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, KLM, Alitalia, Brussels Airlines, Aer Lingus, Delta Air Lines, Air Berlin and Swiss International Airlines.

The France airports handle millions of passengers per annum and many have multiple terminal buildings and up to four runways. Their passengers will find all the facilities they require in the majority of the terminal buildings at the airports, including banking and currency exchange services, conference and meeting room facilities, healthcare centres and pharmacies, tourist and general information services, lost and found offices, internet connections, public telephones and baggage trolleys. There are also extensive facilities for parents of young children, especially in the larger airports, which include play areas and nappy-changing stations. All French airports are well equipped for the arrival and departure of disabled passengers. They have adequately adapted toilet facilities, pavement ramps, clear walkways, special meeting and reception areas and reserved parking spaces in the airport parking lots. Passengers who require further assistance can also make the necessary arrangements with their airline company.

Passengers have a wide variety of transportation options to and from the airports of France, which include by bus, taxi, train or more private alternatives, such as hotel shuttle buses, private transfers and other private bus companies. All France airports also have a good selection of car hire companies within their arrival areas. Each region in France has bus services operated by its own authorities, and are referred to by various names. Many buses travel to the French airports on a frequent basis. Larger France airports are equipped with their own railway stations, for example, Charles de Gaulle Airport and Paris-Orly Airport, while airports without a railway station on the airport site usually have regular bus services to the main train station of the town or city for which it serves. The railway company in France is the SNCF, and trains connect all the major cities and towns of the country. The fast and efficient TGV trains are a wonderful way to travel between cities like Paris, Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Dijon, Nantes, Strasbourg, Bordeaux and Toulouse. Taxis are available from outside the arrival areas of French airports, and are operated on a metered system, with charges calculated per kilometre.

French airports provide access for tourists to all the wonderful and famous France attractions, and visitors arrive from all parts of the world to see places such as Disneyland Paris, the Eiffel Tower and Moulin Rouge in Paris, or to enjoy a canal cruise in the city of Toulouse. The cities of France are also well know for their historical attractions, museums and exquisite religious buildings, while the coastal cities such as Marseille have some lovely beaches to offer.