Buses to and from Poitiers Airport (PIS)

Poitiers Airport is located approximately 2.4km west of Poitiers city centre, and is a small French airport located in quite a prominent position, with easy access to a wide range of cities in the area. Poitiers is a commune of the Vienne department of France, and the airport of the city is particularly nearby Biard, and therefore often referred to as the Poitiers-Biard Airport. It is also recognised by its official code of PIS. Poitiers Airport buses are available for arriving and departing passengers, and are especially convenient for those on Ryanair flights. Buses are always a cheaper form of transport from an airport location than taxis, and are often considered as quite comfortable and convenient.

Poitiers Airport consists of a single terminal building of approximately 1,400 square metres. The current building of the airport was built in 2002, and replaced the older terminal. It is well equipped with facilities, but with a capacity of only 100,000, and the airport currently handles about 115,000 passengers. In previous years, the airport even handled up to 130,000 passengers. However, the terminal is considered to be quite efficient, and the airport staff friendly and helpful. The airport has a restaurant, a bar, cash machines, a postal bank and various other useful facilities for its passengers. Although there are car hire companies at Poitiers Airport, and taxi services, many passengers prefer to take an airport bus into the city, as this form of transport is less expensive, and a convenient way to travel. The Poitiers Airport buses are operated especially for the flights managed by the airline company of Ryanair.

Poitiers Airport Buses

Poitiers Airport is mainly served by the two airline companies of Ryanair and Airlinair, which is a partner of Air France. Airlinair operates flights year-round to and from Lyon, another French airport, and Ryanair handles flights which are mostly seasonal to and from UK destinations, such as the London-Stansted Airport, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Ryanair may also offer flights to Barcelona, and Airlinair may offer seasonal flight services to Ajaccio. The Poitiers Airport buses operate at times which correspond to the Ryanair flight schedules of the airport, and are available from the bus station outside of the arrival area.

Arriving passengers will easily find the bus stop outside of the airport building, and the airport buses depart approximately half an hour after each Ryanair flight arrival. On this bus, passengers can travel to the railway station in the city of Poitiers, from where further bus connections are available, or from where passengers can continue their journey by train. The Poitiers train station is served by a wide variety of train services, including the high-speed TGV trains and local TER services. The TGV trains run from the Montparnasse station in Paris to Poitiers and then on to Bordeaux, and the local services take passengers to Angoulême, Tours, Limoges, Niort and La Rochelle, which are many of the more popular cities to visit in the nearby vicinity of Poitiers Airport. Only the TGV trains will require an advanced reservation, while all other train tickets can be purchased on the day of travel.

A trip on the airport bus to the railway station will cost about five Euro for a one-way ticket (per person), and tickets can be purchased from the bus driver. The journey to the railway station will take approximately a mere ten minutes, since that the airport is found so close to the city centre. The ticket purchased also allows one onward local connection by the Vitalis bus network. The ticket is valid for an hour after its validation.

Passengers departing from Poitiers Airport will also be able to use this same bus service from the railway station. It departs from outside of the station, approximately an hour and ten minutes before each Ryanair flight is scheduled for departure. The journey is once again just ten minutes, and therefore enables passengers to arrive at the airport about an hour before their departure flight. A taxi to the airport is recommended for passengers who would require a longer time in the terminal before their flight departs. The airport also has a convenient car park for anyone who is able to drive their own vehicle. The buses will drop passengers off in front of the terminal building, within easy walking distance of the check-in area.

Another possible Poitiers Airport bus is the local bus No.6, which has a stop nearby the airport. This bus may not be a very good option, as it only runs in the morning and later afternoon, not in the middle of the day, and it could be a fair distance to the bus stop. The bus travels to the city centre, and stops at the railway station of the city.

Passengers can find out more information regarding the Poitiers Airport buses from the airport information desk, contactable at the following telephone number: 05 49 30 04 40. International passengers should dial 33 as the international code, and drop the first ‘0’ from the telephone number.