Lourdes Tarbes Airport Parking

Lourdes Airport has the official IATA code of LDE, and is commonly referred to as the Tarbes-Lourdes, due to its location nearby Tarbes as well. The airport is served by the airline companies of Air France, Ryanair, Meridiana Fly, Thomas Cook Airlines, TNT Airways and Jetairfly, amongst other charter airline carriers, and passengers can fly from the airport to several popular destinations on direct flights. Facilities available for arriving and departing passengers are modern and adequate, and include the Lourdes parking area. For the number of passengers which use the airport on a yearly basis, the car parking lot has a sufficient number of parking spaces.

The airport is found in southern France, approximately halfway between the two cities of Lourdes and Tarbes. It is 9km, or 6 miles from Tarbes, and 10km from Lourdes. The airport is also only about 40km from Pau, located to the north-west of Tarbes. The airport is in the town of Ossun, and is therefore often called the Tarbes Ossun Lourdes Airport as well, and serves many of the towns and cities in the Hautes-Pyrenees department of the country. The main roads leading to the airport are the N21 and the A64 Autoroute, of which the N21 runs from Tarbes south to Lourdes, and from Tarbes north to Agen and Bergerac. The E80, or the A64, is the route to follow from Pau and from other cities further to the west of Tarbes, such as Bayonne, Biarritz and Anglet, on the western coastline. The A64 runs towards Lourdes from the east as well, from larger cities such as Toulouse, which is approximately 150km from the airport.

Directions to the airport from the A64 are as follows: take the exit no.12 named as ‘Tarbes Quest’, and at the first roundabout follow the signs for ‘Lourdes’. On the right-hand side, the direction of the airport is indicated by signs, and it is the second exit on the N21. Passengers driving and parking at the airport will find the roads relatively easy to follow, but should leave in plenty of time to reach the airport. The main roads could be busier during peak traffic hours. Once arriving at the airport, follow the signs which read ‘Parc à véhicules’, and continue to the car parking area to find a suitable space for your car.

The Airport Parking Lot

Lourdes is one of the smaller airports in the country of France, with only around 430,000 passengers per annum, but is one of the very few airports in the world to offer free parking. In total, there are about 750 car parking spaces, and they can be used for any length of time, free of charge. Many of the smaller airports of the country used to offer parking for free, but have now changed their system to paid parking lots, and have installed entry and exit barriers. However, passengers will be pleasantly surprised to find that they can bring their vehicles and park for free.

There are two sections within the parking area, one for short-term parking and the other for long-term parking. Lourdes Airport parking for up to twelve hours is available in the area marked as ‘Courte Durée’, and for any stays of over twelve hours, cars will be parked in the area marked as ‘Longue Durée’. Parking at all airports, whether it be paid or free parking, is done at the motorist’s own risk, and theft of the vehicle or any damages or injuries sustained within the car park cannot be held against airport authorities.

Departing passengers may also be dropped off in front of the terminal building. This is commonly done at the majority of airports, but the road should not be treated as a parking area. Cars may stop here only to offload passengers and their baggage for a maximum of a minute or two, and may under no circumstances be left here unattended. The driver is also recommended to remain inside the vehicle, behind the steering wheel. Passengers already waiting at curb-side may be collected as well, however, motorists may not park and wait for arriving passengers outside the entrance of the terminal. Since that parking at Lourdes Airport is free of charge, there is no need to increase traffic past the airport building, and motorists are advised to rather park in the parking lot.

Disabled passengers and all persons with reduced mobility challenges are welcome at the airport, and besides many facilities within the terminal for their comfort, there are also thirty reserved car parking spaces available. These spaces are provided for free as well, and are located as nearby to the entrance of the airport terminal as possible. Passengers requiring additional assistance from airport staff should arrive at least two hours prior to their flight.

Lourdes parking is most convenient, especially as it is provided free of charge. Staff at the airport’s information desk will be able to answer any further questions a passenger or customer may have.