Grenoble Airport (GNB)

Grenoble Airport is a very important gateway to the Rhône-Alpes region of France, which is famous for its many fantastic ski resorts, beautiful lakes and relaxing spas. The region is also the second largest in the country in terms of economy and population. The airport of Grenoble, although not large in size, is used by many tourists, has a new terminal building which is well equipped with a variety of facilities, and is served by several airline companies that fly to a number of prominent destinations. The airport is allocated the official IATA code of GNB, and its ICAO code is listed as LFLS. It can also be referred to as the Grenoble-Saint-Geoirs, or as the Isère.

The airport is actually situated at quite a distance from the city after which it is named, as Grenoble is about 45km, or 28 miles south-east of the airport. The name Saint-Geoirs is due to the fact that it lies in the commune of Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs, and is approximately 2.5km from this area. However, both Grenoble and Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs are found in the Isére department of France, and GNB serves these and many other towns and cities in the region. Smaller areas nearby include Brézins, Sillans and Izeaux, while larger areas to the east are Rives, Renage and Voiron, and to the far south-west is Romans-sur-Isére and Valence. About 85km north-west is also the large and important city of Lyon, with Macon and Bourg-en-Brasse nearby. Other areas of importance to the north are Geneva (Switzerland), Annecy, Aix-les-Bains and Chambéry.

The main access road of Grenoble airport is the D119, which is linked to the A48 Autoroute nearby, heading for Grenoble and Bourgoin-Jallieu. From here, the A43 then continues to Lyon, and also to Chambéry, and from the city, the A41 also travels north to Chambéry, and continues to Geneva. Departing passengers can access the airport by one of the shuttle services available, taxis or in their own vehicle, as plenty of parking spaces are found outside the terminal building. There is no train station on site.

Grenoble Airport does not have as long a history as other air gateways in France, as it was only built in 1968. Its main purpose at this time was to support the 1968 Winter Olympic Games. Rhône-Alpes has been the host for the Games on three occasions, in Chamonix, Grenoble and Albertville. Passenger traffic grew steadily, reaching 400,000 passengers by the end of the 1980’s. Traffic decreased somewhat over the next few years, with only 259,000 passengers in 2000. 2003 was perhaps the lowest year in terms of passenger traffic, as the numbers did not surpass 200,000. However, since 2004, the recorded figures have increased each year, and in 2009, it handled approximately 456,000 passengers.

Up until December 2003, the airport was managed by the local authorities, but is now operated by the Société d’Exploitation de l’Aéroport de Grenoble, or the SEAG. This is a privately owned joint venture set up specifically for the task of management and development.

Today, Grenoble’s scheduled flights are handled by several airline companies, including Aurigny Air Services, EasyJet, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Ryanair and Transavia, and these airline carriers travel to and from a wide variety of destinations, mostly during the high season. Destinations in the United Kingdom include Birmingham, Edinburgh, Liverpool and London-Stansted, and other destinations include Rotterdam, Guernsey, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo-Gardermoen. There are also many charter airlines offering their services from Grenoble, such as Aer Lingus, Monarch Airlines, Thomson Airways, Thomas Cook Airlines, Atlantic Airways, Flybe and Scandinavian Airlines, and some of their destinations include Southampton, Warsaw, Manchester, London-Gatwick, Gothenburg, Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion and Moscow-Domodedovo.

The current terminal building of Grenoble Airport is an ‘all-new’ construction, completed in October of 2002, with an annual capacity exceeding one million passengers. It is capable of processing 1,800 passengers per hour, and features two arrival areas, three boarding areas and 26 check-in counters. The terminal has a parking area for aircraft of 70,000 square metres, and its main runway is 3,050 metres in length, and 45 metres wide. This length of runway enables to handle aircraft as large as the Boeing 747s. There is also a grass runway of about 900 metres in length. Although the terminal can still be considered as fairly new, and at present adequate for the number of passengers it handles, there are plans in the near future for further extensions.

Although Grenoble Airport is far from being the largest in France, it’s terminal building is extremely well equipped with facilities for the needs of all its passengers, including those with reduced mobility challenges. For disabled travellers, there are toilets suitable for wheelchair users, reserved parking spaces and special ramp access to all parts of the airport. Further assistance is also provided by the airline companies and staff members. The airport facilities include several high quality shops and restaurants, duty-free stores in the departure area, ATMs (but no full-service bank), a VIP lounge and meeting rooms for the use of business travellers. Additional facilities include a number of travel agencies, car hire companies, lost and found luggage services, a first-aid centre and baby care facilities. There are no hotels or left luggage facilities at on site.

Grenoble Airport is a very efficient establishment, and welcomes all its passengers with a friendly and helpful atmosphere. More information is available from the information desks within the terminal, or the airport can be contacted at +33 4 76654848.