Lourdes Tarbes Airport (LDE)

Lourdes Airport is one of the destinations in southern France, and is located between the two cities of Lourdes and Tarbes. For this reason it is officially named as the Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport, and for distinction from other air gateways, it is allocated the IATA code of LDE. It’s ICAO code is listed as LFBT. Tarbes and Lourdes are both communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department of the country, and are nearby the border of Spain. LDE is an important gateway to these cities, along with other large conurbations in the Midi-Pyrénées and Aquitaine regions, and provides direct access for the many Catholic pilgrims who visit the area for its religious aspects.

The airport is located approximately 9km to the south-southeast of Tarbes, and about ten kilometres from Lourdes. It is also found in the small town of Ossun, and the signposts to the airport read ‘Ossun’, with an aeroplane signal. The main access road is the N21, and nearby is the larger A64 Autoroute, therefore, it is very easy to reach by motor vehicle. The N21 travels north and south, past Tarbes, and the A64 passes Tarbes’ southern areas, and leads north-west to Pau, and south-east to Lannemezan, Montréjeau and Saint-Gaudens. Small areas particularly nearby Lourdes include Juillan, Louey, Lanne and Ossun, while on a larger scale, it is to the east of Bayonne and Biarritz, to the south of Bordeaux and Bergerac and to the west of Carcassonne, Narbonne and Montpellier. Toulouse is about 150km from the airport.

Lourdes Airport can be accessed by bus or taxi as well, as local buses serve the destination, and taxis are available from all nearby locations. There is no train station on site, therefore, travelling to the terminal by train is not possible. However, Lourdes does have a railway station with a variety of connections to and from many destinations.

Flights from the airport of Lourdes and Tarbes serve almost fifty destinations in fifteen countries. 70% of the traffic is charter, operated by a variety of airline companies, and passengers are tourists and business professionals, as well as those part of the Catholic Pilgrimage. There are only a handful of scheduled flights available, which are those that are offered on a regular basis throughout the year. Three flights a day are made to the Paris-Orly, by Air France operated by Brit Air, and two flights a week are available to Brussels, London-Stansted, Manchester and Milan, by the airline companies of Ryanair, TNT Airways and Thomas Cook Airlines Belgian. Four flights a week are offered to Rome-Fiumicino as well. Bergamo is another destination of the low-cost carrier Ryanair.

Although often considered as a small regional airport, Lourdes is mostly visited by passengers on international flights. Passenger traffic has held fairly steady numbers over the last few years, always ending with over 400,000 passengers per annum. The busiest year recorded was 2008, with 678,897 passengers, of which over 550,000 were international travellers. 2009 saw only approximately 481,000 passengers, and 2010 ended on an even lower note, with 436,379 passengers. However, traffic at many of the French airports is expected to increase significantly over future years, and there’s no doubt that Lourdes airport will receive a greater number of passengers as well. The destination handles cargo traffic as well, with the airline company of Mistral Air.

Lourdes Airport consists of a single terminal building with one runway which is long enough to handle aircraft of all sizes, including those such as the Boeing 747. The runway’s direction is 02/20, and it is 3,000 metres, or 9,343 feet in length. It has an asphalt surface, and its landing aids are noted as ILS Cat. II. The passenger terminal is equipped with a variety of facilities, and covers an area of 15,000 square metres. The departure area is located on the first floor, while all arrivals are handled on the ground floor. There are sixteen check-in desks and three baggage reclaim carousels. The site has a large parking area for private vehicles as well, with over 700 spaces. It is also one of the only airport parking areas which are still free of charge. The cargo handling facilities include a terminal with an area of 100 square metres.

All passengers are welcome at Tarbes, as it is accessible for persons in wheelchairs and all with reduced-mobility challenges. There are thirty free and specially reserved parking spaces available, suitable rest room facilities on each level, lifts and ramps for easy access to all parts of the terminal and specific lift trucks for boarding and disembarkation of the aircraft. The airport also operates in conjunction with the company Hospitalité ND de Lourdes, in order to ensure that disabled passengers are provided with the assistance they require. For business passengers, Lourdes Airport has a variety of facilities and services, including meeting rooms which can be hired, a VIP lounge and it is possible to arrange certain VIP services, such as a special welcome at the foot of the aircraft with private transport to the terminal. The VIP area has a bar, private rooms for working alone and a modern relaxation area.

Further facilities include two bars (the Oméga and the Envol), a restaurant, a tobacconist/newsagent and the Aelia Duty Free store in the boarding lounge. There are also ATMs for the withdrawal of cash, WiFi access, a mail box and the car rental offices of various car hire agencies.

Lourdes is a very important gateway for a variety of kinds of passengers, for serving many destinations, and is a convenient access point for twelve ski resorts in the Pyrenees, and many other attractions of the area, including spa resorts, the National Parc and the National Stud in Tarbes. Further information is available from the general enquiries desk within the terminal building. Or the telephone number is +33 (0)5 62 32 92 22 (contact@tlp.aeroport.fr).

The official code of LDE is assigned to Lourdes Airport. It is locally known by is Tarbes Ossun Lourdes. Find below a choice of Airlines, destination and flight times.