Buses to and from Lourdes Tarbes Airport (LDE)

Lourdes Airport is situated in the Hautes-Pyrenees department of France, and is found halfway between the two cities of Lourdes and Tarbes. Each of these cities is approximately 10km from the airport. Due to its location, another name for the airport is the Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport, and it has the official airport code of LDE. It is quite a small French airport, handling only just over 430,000 passengers per annum, but is nonetheless an important gateway to the area. As an option for transport, Lourdes buses are available, and provide a comfortable way to reach various nearby destinations. Buses are often one of the most popular forms of transport from an airport.

The airport has a single terminal building with two levels. All arrivals are handled on the ground floor, and departure facilities are found on the upper level. The airport, although small, has a good selection of facilities, including meeting rooms and VIP services for business passengers. The majority of passengers are international, from destinations which include Brussels, Manchester and London. Arriving passengers will find the bus stops for the local bus service that collects passengers at the airport just outside of the terminal’s arrival area. The airport buses are available quite frequently, approximately every hour. Each department of France has its own bus services, run by various bus companies, and buses form a very important part of public transport for the country, especially to areas where there are no railway stations. Since Lourdes is only a small airport, there is no train station on its grounds. Buses, therefore, are the only from of public transport available, and are often favoured as they are much cheaper than a taxi service.

Lourdes Airport Buses

The buses which call on Lourdes Airport are local buses of the ‘Maligne des Gaves’ company, and are the Line No. 2 buses. The buses take arriving passengers to the two main cities of the airport, Tarbes and Lourdes, as well as to many surrounding towns. Within the cities of Tarbes and Lourdes, passengers can easily reach the SNCF railway stations, and continue their journey by train. The Tarbes and Lourdes train stations are both served by various trains, and travelling by the high-speed TGV services is a popular way to reach all the main cities in France.

The local airport buses arrive approximately every hour, and a single ticket will cost just €2.00 regardless of the destination in the entire Hautes-Pyrenees. For children between four and twelve years of age a ticket is half the price, and children younger than four will travel for free. Bus tickets can be purchased from the bus driver. Some of the nearby towns served by the Lourdes buses include Argelés-Gazost, Luz Saint-Sauveur and Barèges. Buses are, of course, available in the alternative direction, from these towns and the railway stations to Lourdes Airport, and are often used by passengers who need to reach a departure flight. Although by car the airport is just a ten minute drive from Lourdes or Tarbes, bus journeys could take a little longer, therefore, always catch one which leaves early enough to let you arrive in good time for your flight. Bus schedules can be found on the official website of the Maligne bus company, http://www.transports-maligne.fr.

Lourdes is located at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains, and skiing is a very popular winter pastime in this area. In the winter, shuttles from the airport allow passengers to take full advantage of the skiing season, and easily reach one of the twelve ski resorts in the region. The winter shuttles run according to the schedules of the Ryanair flights at the airport.

Passengers who have organised their travel from a tour operator may have access to a variety of coach operators and private bus services. Some of the main coach operators in the area include:

• Capou (http://www.transports-capou.fr),
• Guiraud (http://www.autocars-guiraud.com),
• Lasbareillesa (http://www.car-lourdes.com),
• Sassus (sassus.maro@wanadoo.fr),
• Kéolis Pyrenees (http://www.keolis.com),
• Lalubie-Monterola (http://www.lalubiemanterola.com),
• Pommies (http://www.autocars-lourdes-pommies.com),
• Transports Bigorre Pyrenees (http://www.tbplourdes.com).

The larger hotel chains of the area may provide free shuttle services to and from the airport as well. Find out from your place of accommodation the services they offer in advance of your flight to Lourdes, as a reservation will be required.

The airport is fully equipped to welcome disabled passengers, with a variety of facilities and services for their comfort, and often public transport services can be comfortably used by persons in wheelchairs and those with reduced mobility. Local buses are now often equipped with lower floors, and many of the coach operators available can effectively accommodate a disabled traveller. However, it is best to confirm with the bus company in use which services they are able to provide.

Further details regarding Lourdes buses can be obtained from the airport information desk. Telephone number: +33 (0)5 62 32 92 22, email address: contact@tlp.aeroport.fr.