St Etienne Airport Arrivals (EBU)

Saint-Etienne Airport is located approximately 12km, or 7 miles from the city of Saint-Etienne, in the Massif Central area of France. It is found in the town of Andrézieux-Bouthéon, and is therefore often referred to as the Bouthéon Airport. Saint-Etienne has the official airport code of EBU, and is a small French Airport, currently with only around 70,000 passengers per year. However, it provides an important gateway to the Rhône-Alpes region of France, in particular to the Loire department of the country, and the Saint-Etienne Airport arrivals hall and departure facilities are modern and well-organised. Passengers arrive at this airport on flights from a few airline companies, and have access to various forms of transport to nearby areas.

Ryanair, Luxair and Pegasus Airlines are the companies with flights to and from Saint-Etienne Airport, along with others which may include Air France, Méditerranée, Tunisair, Aigle Azur, NetJets, Regional and Russian Airlines. The scheduled destinations of Ryanair, Luxair and Pegasus Airlines include Porto and Istanbul, as well as chartered Bastia flights. Although the airport is small, and its passenger numbers have seen major fluctuations over the past decades, it has a well equipped terminal of 2,300 square metres. The terminal can easily process up to 250,000 passengers per year, and possibly up to 350,000 passengers. The Saint-Etienne Airport arrival area is located on the ground floor, along with car hire companies, an ATM and various other facilities, which include an airport information desk, WiFi connections, an airport shop and bar and a Bureau de Change. There are also meeting rooms available which can be hired by business professionals.

Saint-Etienne Airport is considered as a low-cost airport in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, and lies in a prominent location nearby a number of significant cities. It is Lyon’s sister airport, as it is only 64km from Lyon Saint-Exupéry, and Grenoble, Chambéry, Annecy, Valence, Le Puy, Clermont-Ferrand and Roanne lie within a short driving distance. The Rhône-Alpes region is the second most popular in the country for tourism, behind Ille-de-France and the PACA (Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur), and it also represents ten percent of the population of France. The region’s strong points include vineyards, gastronomy, two national parks and six regional natural parks. Two of the famous natural parks are the Livradois-Forez and the Pilat. The gorges of the Loire are breathtaking as well. Areas to visit in the nearby vicinity of the airport include Firminy, Saint-Victor, Montbrison and Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise. To the last two areas mentioned, coach services are available from the airport for arriving passengers.

There is also a bus service to the train station in Saint-Etienne, known as the Châteaucreux Train Station, and shuttle services are offered by the airline companies of Ryanair and Pegasus Airlines. Both of these shuttles travel to the city of Saint-Etienne, at various times, and on various days of the week, and one of the Pegasus Airline shuttles travels to the Lyon Perrache station. Saint-Etienne is just 12km, or 7 miles from it’s airport, and therefore the journey will take just twenty minutes or so. Airport taxis are available as well, and are generally waiting when arrival flights are due. A taxi to Saint-Etienne will cost approximately twenty Euro, depending on the destination. Arriving passengers will need to make use of the bus or taxi services in order to reach the country’s railway connections, as there is no train station on the airport grounds. Another two railway stations just five minutes from the airport are the Gare de Andrézieux and the Bouthéon Train Station.

Arriving passengers can rent a car from one of the Saint-Etienne Airport car hire companies, for example, Avis, Budget, Auto Europa, Easycar and Europcar. These companies have car rental counters at the terminal building of the airport, and are open at times suitable to greet the arrival of passengers. They are internationally recognised companies, each with their own comprehensive range of vehicles, and are ready to offer very competitive car rental rates. The vehicles of the car hire companies are parked on the airport grounds, within easy walking distance of the terminal. Many passengers consider a hire car to be the most convenient form of transport, as it offers privacy and comfort, and a journey which is perhaps more time-efficient. There are a number of large roads which are nearby the airport, and Autoroutes lead to all the cities of the region. The A72 provides an easy route to Roanne and Clermont-Ferrand, as well as south to Saint-Etienne, and the N88 from Saint-Etienne leads to Le Puy. The A47 is another large road from the city of Saint-Etienne, and it can be followed to Lyon, just 64km away. From Lyon, the A43 heads towards the A48 and Grenoble, and the A7 leads south to Valence. Each city nearby the airport boasts its own unique range of enticing attractions, and are well worth a visit.

Arriving passengers will find that Saint-Etienne has a good selection of hotels and other forms of accommodation, and even the town of Andrézieux-Bouthéon has a few places to offer. Some of the hotels nearer to the airport include the Novotel, the Formula 1 and The Iris, all located in Andrézieux.

Live Saint-Etienne Airport arrivals can be viewed on various online websites, or further information is available from the airport, at 33(0)4 77 55 71 71.