Poitiers Airport (PIS)

Poitiers Airport is located approximately 2.4km, or 1.5 miles west of the city center. It serves the city itself, as well as other towns in the Vienne department of the country. It is considered as an important gateway for both local and international traffic, even though it handles less than two hundred thousand passengers a year. Officially known as the Poitiers-Biard Airport, it is recognised by its IATA code of PIS, and is allocated the ICAO code of LFBI. Although small, it is well equipped with the type of facilities which can be expected at more popular location throughout the country, and there are a few options of transport for arriving and departing passengers.

The physical address of Poitiers airport is as follows: Rue du Sous-Lieutenant Collard, 86580, Biard, and it is found in western France, approximately a little over an hour’s drive from the western coast, and areas such as La Rochelle. As mentioned, the air gateway serves the towns in the Vienne department, and is just an hour’s drive from many other prominent French cities. It is also in easy reach of Châtellerault and Tours to the north along the A10 Autoroute, and to Niort and La Rochelle south-west of the airport, along the A10 as well. Directly south of Poitiers lies Angoulême, and a little further down the western coast is the large and popular city of Bordeaux. South-east are the cities of Bellac and Limoges, and to the north-east are Châteauroux and Vierzon.

Poitiers Airport is particularly nearby the town of Biard, hence its name of the Poitiers-Biard, while Croutelle and Fontaine-le-Comte are to the south, and Migné-Auxances is to the north. Just east are the areas of Vouneuil-sous-Biard and Quincay. The access road is the R910, from the exits 29 and 30, depending on whether you are driving from the north or south, and the A10 is the major Autoroute in the vicinity. Additional roads nearby are the D30, D12, D757, D6 and the D3. The airport’s road is also known as the Rue de l’Aérodrome, and its location may be signposted as the Aéroport de Poitiers-Biard. Other ways of reaching the destination are by bus or taxi, but there is no train station on the site. Buses run in accordance to the times of the Ryanair flights available, and taxis can be taken to or from all nearby areas. The airport bus costs just five Euro for a one-way journey.

Since that the airport is not very large, it is served only by two airline companies. They are Ryanair and Airlinair, which is partner of the well-known carrier of Air France, present at the majority of French destinations. Airlinair takes passengers from Poitiers to Lyon, another city in France, throughout the year, and at least several times a week. This airline company may also offer seasonal flights to Ajaccio. Ryanair is one of the favourite low-cost airline carriers of the world, with hundreds of flights per day travelling to all parts of the world. From here, Ryanair flies to the London-Stansted in the United Kingdom, and possibly to Birmingham and Barcelona. These flights are seasonal. The majority of the traffic is carried on international flights.

Passenger traffic at the airport in 2010 was recorded at 114,329, however, in previous years, it handled a higher number of passengers. 2006 was one of its busiest years, with 135,618 passengers. 2007 and 2008 were almost identical, each with around 121,000 passengers, and 2009 saw slightly lower figures. Many French locations have seen a decrease in traffic over the last year or two, but perhaps PIS will experience higher numbers in the years to come.

The airport of Poitiers dates back to 1916 when an RA14 was the first flight to land in the area. In 1924, the first regular service to and from Paris was established. The Poitou Flying Club was created in 1929, and played an important role in improving the facilities. Today the club is still in existence, and provides a varied selection of activities. In 1945 the airport had just a single grass landing field of 500 x 500 metres, but by 1950 there were two grass runways, both over 1,000 metres in length. Further improvements were made, including a tarmac runway of 1,800 metres by 1965 and the construction of the Rotunda and terminal in 1966. In later years, the runway and terminal were extended, a covered tunnel was built between the terminals and a new fuel depot was constructed.

Today, Poitiers airport consists of a new terminal building that was completed in 2002, covering a total surface area of 1,400 square meters, and three runways, two of which are only grass. The main runway is 2,350 metres in length and 45 metres wide, and capable of handling aircraft of a medium to large variety. There is also an aircraft hanger of 2,000 square metres. The entire grounds covers an area of 165 hectares. Within the terminal, which is completely accessible to passengers with reduced mobility challenges, there are four check-in desks and two boarding rooms, and a restaurant on the first floor of the Rotunda. Facilities also include cash machines, a postal bank, a bar and information desks. There are travel agents available, and car hire companies in the arrival area. Parking for private vehicles is adequate as well, as there are approximately 400 spaces available, and space for short-term and long-term parking stays.

Further details regarding the airport information is available from the following telephone number: +33 (0)5 49 30 04 40, or the email address of info@poitiers.aeroport.fr can be used.

The official code of PIS is assigned to Poitiers Airport. It is officially known as Biard. Please find below GPS coordinates which may help you in your arrival or departurert. The Coordinates are 46.58333, 0.30000 which you can enter into your Smartphone or in-car GPS.