Pau Airport Arrivals (PUF)

Pau is found in south-western France, and is considered as an airport of reasonable size. Due to its location, the airport is officially named as the Pau-Pyrénées Airport, and sometimes it is referred to as the Uzein Airport, or even as the Pau-Béarn Airport. It’s IATA airport code is PUF. Although not a very large airport, flights arrive from a variety of destinations, and are offered to passengers by several airline companies. The Pau arrival area is well equipped to receive passengers as well, and in general, the airport is considered to be modern and efficient. It is operated by the Pau Chamber of Commerce.

The airport is international, however, the majority of its passengers fly on national flights, to and from destinations which include the two main airports of Paris, Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly, Lyon and Marseille. Flights are also offered to and from the smaller Paris-Beauvais Airport. These are scheduled domestic routes, which are operated several times a day, or several times a week, throughout the year. Other destinations served include London, Southampton and Brussels South-Charleroi. A significant number of holiday flights are available at the airport as well, to and from Marrakech, Prague, Athens, Funchal, Corfu, Edinburgh and Rome. In 2010, Pau Airport had approximately 673,000 passengers, which is less than previous years, as 2008 saw just over 800,000 passengers. However, a greater number of passengers is expected in the years to come. The majority of the airport’s passengers fly on national flights.

Passengers arriving at Pau Airport will be pleasantly greeted by a modern terminal building, which is capable of handling up to a million passengers per year. On average, between 2,500 and 3,000 passengers pass through the airport each day. The single passenger building has adequate facilities for departing and arriving passengers, with the majority of services in the large public area of the terminal. In total, the terminal is about 10,000 square metres in size, and has it’s arrival hall on the ground floor and boarding gates on the upper level. The arrival hall is equipped with one baggage reclaim carousel, and customs and passport control areas. Into the main area, there are the offices of the airport’s car hire companies, a few shops and restaurants, a post box, newsagents, a Crédit Agricole cash-point machine and public telephones. The information desk on the ground floor will handle any medical emergencies, or any lost and found items, while the tourist information desk offers a selection of free tourist brochures.

Business passengers arriving at Pau can arrange to hire a meeting room or work area for their clients and colleagues, as the airport is equipped with a business centre. They are functional, cosy and pleasantly laid out, and various items of equipment can be hired for each, for example, overhead projectors, paper-boards and WiFi connections. There are four rooms available, accommodating between eight and forty-nine people. Passengers who are ready to leave the airport can pay for their parking at the automatic machine in the terminal, at the machines in the parking area P1, at the manned parking information desk or at the exit of the parking lots, by credit or debit card.

From the Pau Airport arrival hall, passengers have access to several forms of transport. Just outside of the terminal the airport buses are available, and they depart about every hour. They travel to the town centre of Pau, to the railway station and to the Avenue de l’Europe. They also stop at the University and at the main bus station of the city. The journey is about half an hour, and will only cost one Euro per person for a single-trip ticket. The buses are operated by the Idelis company, and are considered as a convenient way to reach popular areas in the city. Passengers will also find a taxi rank outside of the arrival area, where there are usually taxis available, but a taxi is recommended to be reserved for journeys on Saturday evenings, on Sundays and on public holidays. There is no train station at the airport.

Perhaps the best way to travel from the airport is by rented car, from one of the airport car rental companies, such as Hertz, Avis, Europcar, National, Alamo, Easycar or Auto Europa. They are all internationally recognised companies, with many years of experience in the car hire industry, and offer competitive rental rates to passengers with airline tickets. In a private vehicle is one of the best ways to explore the many wonderful attractions of the area. There is the Sanctuary of Lourdes just a forty minute drive away, and the wonderful seaside resorts of Bayonne, Biarritz and Anglet just over an hour’s drive from the airport. Inland, passengers can easily travel to areas in Gers, such as Aire and Nogaro, and the larger city of Bordeaux is about a two hour drive to the north of Pau. To the east, there are also the cities of Tarbes and Toulouse. The airport is positioned only about fifty kilometres from the border of Spain as well. In general, Pau Airport provides access to the Pyrénées ski resorts, the Pyrenean National Park and the Basque Coast. It is also nearby to the Palais de Congrès convention centre in Pau, and serves the third largest economic hub in the south-west of France.

The airport is located approximately 10km, or 6.2 miles from Pau, and is in the commune of Uzein of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region of the country. The main roads surrounding the airport include the A64 and the A65, and the D716, which is the airport’s access road.

The airport is able to welcome disabled passengers, as it is equipped for their comfort, and further assistance can be arranged in advance of their arrival flight. Live Pau arrival schedules can be found on various online websites, or the airport can be contacted at +33 (0)5 59 33 33 00.