Airport News

with Robbie Shaw

Robbie Shaw lives near Gatwick where he was an Air Traffic Controller and travels regularly to his place in Collioure. His wife describes him as an ‘aviation geek’, just what we need in fact. 🙂

He travels all over the world photographing aircraft, and also keeps you up to date with flights between this region and UK & Irish airports, and any other airport news that seems relevant.

SPRING 2021

As you might expect as we continue to suffer this pandemic, airline schedules are in chaos.  Most airlines unveil plans, and end up having to change them due to changing lockdown and quarantine rules.

As I am write this mid February, I am aware that it is likely to be quickly out of date. Hopefully it will provide you with some sort of guide but my best suggestion is to constantly monitor the airline websites yourself.  It certainly has been a year like no other!

REMEMBER THIS FEATURE IS ONLY A GUIDE.  

Bon voyage and bonne chance!

FRANCE

PERPIGNAN

Aer Lingus flights from Dublin, but the bad news – 0600 departures.

If you are looking at high fares to P.O. check the rugby fixture list which could explain it, and try changing dates by just a few days.

As can be seen in the table below, Perpignan comes to life in the spring in normal years.

BEZIERS

Like Carcassonne, Ryanair has a free run at this small airport. 

CARCASSONNE

Ryanair remains the sole operator here;

MONTPELLIER

Easyjet operate from both Gatwick and Luton. The latter only for a short period.

NIMES

Ryanair is the sole operator for P-O readers.

TOULOUSE / BLAGNAC

There tends to be more flights to Toulouse from UK regional airport in the winter due to skiing opportunities, with Andorra not too far away.

Ryanair have re-introduced service to Edinburgh whilst Manchester will be introduced by both easyJet and Jet2. There are no plans for British Airways Heathrow flights.

SPAIN

BARCELONA / EL PRAT

As always, a huge variety of flights to Barcelona, most of which run all year round, but with seasonal increases. Quite a few changes.

Ryanair introduce flights from Luton and there are now four operators on the Manchester route. EasyJet have dropped the Southend service but added Manchester. Vueling have added flights from Birmingham, Dublin and Edinburgh, but ceased Cardiff. Norwegian have dropped their UK flights to Barcelona. Jet2 no longer plan to service Glasgow this year, and oddly Leeds-Bradford and Manchester services do not start until September.

GIRONA

In the last couple of years there had been a big increase in flights to Girona.  No doubt passenger confidence in the Boeing 737MAX will have taken a battering after two crashes, and the type being grounded for a considerable time. Boeing’s woes are not just affecting the 737-MAX. Some of the older 737-800 (which Ryanair use)  are having to go in for minor repairs known as ‘pickle fork’ repairs. New Ryanair service is from Dublin, whilst Belfast and Southend have been dropped.

Leeds based Jet2 have a whole raft of flights, though most do not start until early May. However they have dropped both Edinburgh and Glasgow and bad news for Belfast is that both Jet2 and Ryanair have no plans to operate the route this year. Likewise, no plans for TUI flights from Gatwick.

Please note that these are the average number of flights per week, and will be variable in the shoulder and peak seasons, that is why you will sometimes see a minimum and maximum number listed. If you think I have missed any, please contact me on info@anglophone-direct.com. Please do bear in mind airline schedules fluctuate.

AIRPORT TRANSPORT (please contact us with any new info)

PERPIGNAN

www.aeroport-perpignan.com

Bus/Train ……. The airport bus from Perpignan railway station takes about 20 mins and runs regularly from app 06.30 to 19.30 Mon to Sat, with a much reduced service on Suns and Holidays.

Taxi..…..3 taxi firms have the right to use the forecourt at Perpignan airport. Prices average about 2€50 per km, so fares for single trips to coastal resorts and the Alberes/Vallespir can be eye-watering !

Car..…… PGF is north of the city near Rivesaltes. Since the recent modernisation, parking supply is ample and costs around 40€ per week.

CARCASSONNE

www.aeroport-carcassonne.com

Bus/Train.….you can travel to Carcassonne railway station from almost any station in P-O, but must usually change at Narbonne. From Carcassonne, there is a shuttle bus that individually connects with each flight departure and arrival. Single fare 5€.

Car.……The airport is right by jcn 23 of the A61 autoroute. There are 3 car parks: short, medium and long stay, and a week in the latter costs 40€.

BEZIERS

www.beziers-aeroport.fr

Bus/Train…….All trains from PO stations to Montpellier and beyond stop at Beziers. From there, there is a shuttle bus that individually connects with each departing and arriving flight. Single fare 1€60.

Car. …..the airport is close to jcn 35 of the A9 autoroute. There is ample parking right next to the terminal and costs 40€ per week.

GIRONA

www.aena.es/en/girona-costa-brava-airport

Bus/train ……… Not an easy airport to access by public transport anymore. A train from Perpignan will take you to Girona station, the easiest option from there being a taxi at around 40 euros. ( price not confirmed).

You can also take a bus to the airport from Girona’s bus station, not far from train station to the Girona Buses run every hour & travel time is 26 minutes. Check bus schedules HERE

Pick up Flixbus directly to the airport from Perpignan. Prices are reasonable but timetable can be constrictive

Car.…….The airport is right by jcn 8 of the AP7 autopista. Several car parking companies exist both on and off the airport, and the official on-airport car park do regular promotions. For example, at the time of writing, a prebooked stay of 7 to 20 days costs a flat 42€.

BARCELONA

www.aena.es/en/barcelona-airport

Train……. The new Barcelona Metro line L9 now serves both Terminal 1 and 2 but only from stations south of the city so is of limited use if coming from P-O . The suburban train R2 Nord runs from Sants station in the city every half hour, but serves only T2 . As regards accessing Barcelona by rail from P-O, there are 4 trains to/from Perpignan daily direct to Sants station, but unfortunately the earliest of these arrives Sants at 12.38 and the latest departs Sants at 16.45. A better bet is Figueres Vilafant (AVE) station which offers a virtually hourly service to Sants from 06.30 to 21.00 daily.

Bus….. The Aerobus runs from the Plaza de Catalunya in Barcelona city centre all day every 5 minutes to Terminal 1 and every 10 mins to Terminal 2. Perpicat (see Girona listings) run one morning service direct to Barcelona airport at a single fare of 50€ . There is a free green shuttle bus between terminals.

Car.…… Barcelona airport is on the south of the city just off the C31 autovia. I find that, generally, easiest access is via the AP7 toll road, continuing round the city onto the A2 autovia as far as the C31. Reckon on 2h15 mins from Le Boulou. Once there, parking options are vast. As a rule of thumb, the nearer the airport terminal, the more you’ll pay, but even at popular times you should need to pay no more than 8€ per day. I recommend looking at the official airport site, as there are often deals and promotions. For example at the time of writing prebooked up to 20 day stays in the main T1 multi storey just 3 minutes walk from the terminal were only 75€ ! Another option, particularly if you are catching an early flight is using one of the 4 local hotels that offer free shuttle buses direct to the terminals. You can leave your car free by the hotel, and usually rooms are available booking in advance for about 70€ . Try www.booking.com for details .

As I’ve stressed in this article, pre-booking tends to save you money, so a little pre-planning and flexibility usually pays dividends. But console yourself with the thought that, generally, transport and parking costs are a lot cheaper here than in the UK, where I’ve regularly paid more for my journey from East Anglia to Stansted than for the air ticket from Stansted to Perpignan !