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.
Correct at the time of writing, this article covers the period through until October 2022.
SUMMER 2022
London Heathrow recorded over five million outbound passengers in April 2022, and other UK airports also report a post pandemic increase following the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in the UK and Europe.
But more passengers and staff shortages mean cancellations or delays and looooong queues, with waits of several hours reported in some airports.
Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get through security this summer.
Please remember that changes are taking place constantly and several flights could have been added or cancelled by the time you read this.
Monitor the airline websites yourself to be sure of receiving the latest and most up-to-date info.
Winter schedules will start on Sunday 30 October.
PS Have you noticed the price of car hire recently? Arrrggghhh!
Bon voyage and bonne chance!
FRANCE
PERPIGNAN
Aer Lingus flights from Dublin restart, and the good news – no more 0600 departures, so a better time, though fares have risen significantly.
If you are looking at the websites and find the fares to P.O. are very high, look at the rugby fixture list and that could explain it. Often changing just a few days can reduce the fare, and car hire prices. Also fares are generally cheaper midweek, especially in the summer months – or ridiculously expensive in school mid-term.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2 | RYANAIR 27 March-26 Oct |
| DUBLIN | 3 | AER LINGUS 25 June-27 Aug |
| STANSTED | 3-5 | RYANAIR 29 March-29 Oct |
BEZIERS
Like Carcassonne, Ryanair has a free run at this small airport. Rather strangely the Luton service stops at the end of March, restarting in June.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| BRISTOL | 3 | RYANAIR 1 June-28 Oct |
| EDINBURGH | 2 | RYANAIR 27 March-26 Oct |
| LUTON | 2 | RYANAIR 4 June-29 Oct |
| MANCHESTER | 3 | RYANAIR 29 March-29 Oct |
| STANSTED | 2-3 | RYANAIR 27 March-26 Oct |
CARCASSONNE
Ryanair remains the sole operator here.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| EAST MIDLANDS | 2 | RYANAIR 29 March-29 Oct |
| EDINBURGH | 2 | RYANAIR 29 March-29 Oct |
| MANCHESTER | 3 | RYANAIR 28 March-28 Oct |
| STANSTED | 4-7 | RYANAIR 28 March-29 Oct |
| CORK | 2 | RYANAIR 3 June-28 Oct |
| DUBLIN | 3 | RYANAIR 29 March-29 Oct |
MONTPELLIER
Easyjet operate from both Gatwick and Luton. The latter only for a short period. The British Airways flight from Heathrow which operated only in 2018 appears not to be operating again this year.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| GATWICK | 11 | EASYJET 27 March-29 Oct |
| LUTON | 3 | EASYJET 28 June-3 Sep |
NIMES
Ryanair is the sole operator. Luton has been dropped leaving only Stansted.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| STANSTED | 2 | RYANAIR 6 June-28 Oct |
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 Jet2.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| BRISTOL | 6-7 | EASYJET 27 March-29 Oct |
| EDINBURGH | 2 | RYANAIR 28 March-28 Oct |
| GATWICK | 6-11 | EASYJET 27 March-29 Oct |
| HEATHROW | 24 | BRITISH AWYS 27 Mar-29 Oct |
| STANSTED | 9 | RYANAIR 27 March-29 Oct |
| DUBLIN | 2-3 2 | AER LINGUS 29 March-29 Oct RYANAIR 29 March-29 Oct |
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 will introduce flights from Luton. There are now four operators on the Manchester route. EasyJet have dropped the Newcastle and Southend service but added Manchester.
This summer Vueling are no longer offering flights from Belfast City, Cardiff, Cork and Newcastle. Norwegian have dropped their UK flights to Barcelona. Glasgow has lost the Jet2 service but gained easyJet. Jet2 have added Birmingham.
For those unfamiliar, take care on the Barcelona ring-road, one wrong turn could be very time consuming.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| BELFAST INT’L | 4 | EASYJET 27 March-28 Oct |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2 6 5-7 | JET2 27 March-27 Oct RYANAIR 1 April-28 Oct VUELING 27 March-29 Oct |
| BRISTOL | 12-14 4 | EASYJET 27 March-29 Oct RYANAIR 28 March-28 Oct |
| EAST MIDLANDS | 7 | RYANAIR 27 March-29 Oct |
| EDINBURGH | 7 2-3 | RYANAIR 27 March-29 Oct VUELING 27 March-28 Oct |
| GATWICK | 27-33 42 | EASYJET 27 March-29 Oct VUELING 27 March-29 Oct |
| GLASGOW INT’L | 2-3 | EASYJET 27 March-27 Oct |
| GLASGOW PRESTWICK | 3 | RYANAIR 29 March-29 Oct |
| HEATHROW | 49 | BRITISH AWYS 27 Mar-29 Oct |
| LEEDS BRADFORD | 2-4 | JET2 7 April-28 Oct |
| LIVERPOOL | 6-7 3-5 | EASYJET 27 March-27 Oct RYANAIR 27 March-29 Oct |
| LUTON | 16-20 3-5 | EASYJET 27 March-29 Oct RYANAIR 27 March-28 Oct |
| MANCHESTER | 4 3-5 10 6-7 | JET2 27 March-28 Oct EASYJET 27 March-29 Oct RYANAIR 27 March-29 Oct VUELING 27 March-29 Oct |
| STANSTED | 28 | RYANAIR 27 March-29 Oct |
| DUBLIN | 14 19 4-7 | AER LINGUS 27 March-29 Oct. RYANAIR 27 March-29 Oct VUELING 27 March-29 Oct |
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.
To counter this Ryanair has renamed the 737-MAX8 as the 737-8200, and several are now in service, with many more to come. Subject to aircraft deliveries the number of flights listed could well change. Ryanair have added Cork, but dropped several other destinations, including East Midlands, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Luton and Manchester.
Jet2 who suddenly found the airport two years ago once again have a whole raft of flights, but have dropped both Edinburgh and Glasgow. 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.
Ryanair is the sole operator. Luton has been dropped leaving only Stansted.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2 | JET2 2 May-28 Oct |
| BOURNEMOUTH | 3 | RYANAIR 28 March-28 Oct |
| BRISTOL | 1 4-6 | JET2 28 May-29 Oct RYANAIR 27 March-29 Oct |
| CORK | 2 | RYANAIR 28 March-28 Oct |
| DUBLIN | 5 | RYANAIR 27 March-28 Oct |
| EAST MIDLANDS | 1 | JET2 28 May-29 Oct |
| LEEDS BRADFORD | 2 2 | JET2 From 1 May-27 Oct RYANAIR 29 March-29 Oct |
| MANCHESTER | 2-3 | JET2 29 April-28 Oct |
| NEWCASTLE | 1 | JET2 1 May-23 Oct |
| STANSTED | 2 7 | JET2 29 April-28 Oct RYANAIR 27 March-29 Oct |
**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
Bus/Train ……. The airport bus from Perpignan railway station takes about 20 mins and runs regularly from around 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
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
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 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.
