Although France is reasonably big (for European standards), air-travel is not very popular. Prices are often high, and with the competition of the High Speed Train (TGV), it makes little sense to take an airplane. Add to that the requirement to be at the airport several hours in advance, which means the train is faster in many destinations.
However you will find some airlines offering services for flights within France. Most air travel is between Paris and the regions (only the really big cities), and from Lyon to smaller cities (Lyon has become a decent hub for those who need to travel outside of France and who do not want to go to Paris to change airplanes).
Other cities do have scheduled flights within France but often are limited to a few flights a week (cities like Nantes, Toulouse, Nice, Marseille, Caen, etc).
Airports
There are 151 operational airports in France but the vast majority are small and cater to aero-clubs. The top 25 airports that accommodate passenger airlines, scheduled or charter (but excluding private flight, e.g. business jets), are :
Note: the link on the city name brings you directly to the airport’s web site.
Note: International means flights outside of Europe while Magreb means Morocco, Algeria and Tunis.
Note: Air France and Hop! (their low cost subsidiary) are used interchangeably.
# | City | Flights to | Main Operators |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Paris Charles de Gaulle | Domestic, International | Air France/Hop! |
2 | Paris Orly | Domestic, International | Air France/Hop! |
3 | Nice | Domestic, International | Hop!, EasyJet |
4 | Marseille | Domestic, International | Hop!, RyanAir, Volotea, Air Algerie |
5 | Lyon | Domestic, International | Hop!, EasyJet, Air Algerie, Transavia |
6 | Toulouse | Domestic, International | Hop!, EasyJet, RyanAir, Volotea |
7 | Bale-Mulhouse | Domestic & European (some Magreb) | EasyJet |
8 | Montpellier | Domestic & European (some Magreb) | Air Arabia Maroc, Volotea |
9 | Nantes | Domestic & European (some Magreb) | Hop!, Transavia, Volotea, EasyJet |
10 | Bordeaux | Domestic and International | EasyJet, RyanAir, Volotea |
11 | Rouen | Domestic | Hop! |
12 | Avignon | UK | FlyBe |
13 | Rennes | Domestic & European | Hop! |
14 | Pau | Domestic & European (some Magreb) | Hop! |
15 | Grenoble | Domestic, International | EasyJet, Jet2, Wizz air |
16 | Perpignan | Domestic & European (some Magreb) | Hop!, RyanAir |
17 | Biarritz | Domestic & European | EasyJet, Hop!, RyanAir |
18 | Brest | Domestic & International | Hop!, Volotea, |
19 | Clermont-Ferrand | Domestic & European (some Magreb) | Hop! |
20 | Bastia | Domestic & European | Air Corsica, Hop!, EasyJet, Volotea |
21 | Strasbourg | Domestic & European (some Magreb) | Hop!; Volotea, RyanAir |
22 | Paris Beauvais | Domestic & European (some Magreb) | RyanAir, Wizz Air |
23 | Agen | Domestic | Hop! |
24 | Ajaccio | Domestic & European | Hop!, Air Corsica |
25 | Lille | Domestic and International | Hop!, EasyJet |
Airlines within France
For flights within France, Air France (the national carrier) and Hop! (a low cost and full subsidiary of Air France, the “!” is part of the name) are dominant. But several routes are flown by others airlines:
Conclusion
The days of frequent air connections between French cities are truly gone, and nowadays if you want to fly, you’ll need to arm yourself with patience to find the right schedule. Add to that the busy air traffic (flights overflying France) and the security requirements to arrive at the airport well in advance of your flight’s departure, and you end up spending more time travelling than taking the train or bus.
In a next article, I will be showing you the differences in prices and travel times. Stay tuned.
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