Pau Airport Departures (PUF)

Pau Airport serves the city of Pau, which is located just 10km, or 6.2 miles south-east of the airport, and a number of towns in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of France. This French airport records it’s passenger traffic at about 600,000 to 700,000 per annum, and is an important airport for the region. It is officially known as the Pau-Pyrénées Airport, and can be recognised by its airport code of PUF. Pau departures are offered by several popular airline companies, which fly to both local and international destinations, and a number of holiday flights are offered from the airport as well. This airport in the Pyrénées is well equipped for the needs of its departing passengers.

The city of Pau is found on the northern edge of the Pyrénées, and is the capital city of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department. It used to be the capital city of the Béarn region, and therefore, Pau Airport can also be referred to as the Pau-Béarn Airport. This city in France is about a hundred kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean, fifty kilometres from the Pyrénées, and is nearby a number of important cities which are visited by millions each year, in particular, Lourdes. Directly south of Pau, is also the border of Spain, and the Spanish city of Jaca. Other larger cities in the area include Bordeaux to the north, and the conglomeration of Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz to the west. To the east is Tarbes and Toulouse.

Departing passengers can easily drive to the airport in time for their departure flights, as the airport is surrounded by several large roads. The A64 is particularly important, providing access from Toulouse in the east and Biarritz in the west, and is the main road from the city of Pau. The A65 provides access from Bordeaux in the north. The road of the airport is the D716, which is linked to the D208 and the D834. Travelling from Pau to the airport will take about 15 minutes, from Tarbes or Lourdes about 40 minutes, from Gers (Aire, Adour and Nogaro) about half an hour, and from areas in Béarn about 40 minutes. The drive from the coast is just over an hour, and from Toulouse, almost two hours. Departing passengers can park their vehicles in one of the two airport parking lots, and those on holiday flights may be able to take advantage of special parking rates. P1 is for short-term parking, while P2 is more economical for longer stays.

Alternatively, passengers on departure flights can reach the airport by bus or taxi. Buses travel to the airport from the main train station of the city, with stops at the University, the Avenue Place de l’Europe and the main bus station. They are available approximately every hour, and are operated by the company Idelis. Taxis are available to collect passengers from any nearby location, and a trip from the city centre will cost about 25.00 to 30.00 Euro. There is no train station at the airport.

The airport of Pau, located in the commune of Uzein, is served by several airline companies, some of which include Air France, Air France operated by Brit Air, CityJet and Régional, Flybe, Twin Jet and Ryanair. Pau Airport departure flights are available to various local destinations, including Paris (the Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports), Lyon and Marseille. There are about six flights per day to Paris and three flights per day to Lyon, throughout the year. Nine flights per week are offered to Marseille. Ryanair has flights a number of times a week during the summer season to Brussels South-Charleroi and to London. The holiday flight companies of the airport fly to destinations which include Marrakech, Rome, Athens, Prague, Funchal, Corfu and Ajaccio.

The single terminal building of the airport is about 10,000 square metres, and has an annual processing capacity of one million. At present, it is common for around 2,500 to 3,000 passengers to pass through the terminal each day. The Pau Airport departure area is well equipped for its passengers, and most proceedings for departing passengers are handled on the upper floor of the building. There are twelve check-in desks at the airport, eight gates and two airbridges. The Jacqueline Auriol VIP lounge provides a comfortable, modern and relaxing area for business professionals, and for work and meetings, conference rooms can be hired accommodating between eight and forty-nine people. Various items of equipment for the rooms can be arranged as well. Other airport facilities include the Le Cockpit restaurant, a snack-bar and the Les boutiques de l’Aéroport, which sell a variety of regional specialties and products. Regional wines are available as well. The airport shops are found on the ground floor, and in the departure lounge, and here, duty-free items are sold. On the ground floor, there is an ATM, a post box, newsagents, a tourist information desk and public payphones.

The terminal building is equipped to handle disabled passengers, with adapted toilet facilities, lowered telephone booths and lowered information counters. There are pavement ramps and reserved car parking spaces. Further assistance can be provided by staff at the airport if it is requested at least forty-eight hours before their departure flight. Persons who request assistance early will be attended to within ten to twenty minutes, while anyone who has not reserved the service will be assisted within about forty-five minutes. Wheelchairs can be provided on request, and a new regulation states that folding wheelchairs may be put on board a plane under certain conditions.

Further information about Pau departure flights can be obtained from the airport information desk, or by calling the airport’s contact number, of +33 (0)5 59 33 33 00. Live Pau departures can be viewed on various online websites as well.