Presentation
Following the decentralization law of 13 August 2004, Pau Pyrénées Airport is now owned by the Syndicat Mixte of Pau Pyrénées Airport, which includes the Aquitaine Region, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Department, the Pau Béarn Pyrenees Urban Community, the communities of communes of Lacq Orthez, Haut Béarn, Pays de Nay, Luys en Béarn, North-East Béarn and Béarn des Gaves.
Since 1 January 2017, Pau Pyrénées Airport has been managed as part of a 12-year public service delegation by the Air'Py group, composed by the Pau Béarn Chamber of Commerce and Industry (51%), Egis Airport Operation (49%).
Serving the 3rd economic pole of South-West France, Pau Pyrénées Airport is an access gate on a territory that includes Béarn, the Basque Country, southern Landes, Gers and Bigorre.
With Bordeaux and Toulouse, Pau Pyrénées Airport is one of the three airports in South-West France equipped with an all-weather landing system (ATT).
The airport is located in the heart of an activity zone that combines civil (industrial and service) and military activities, some 500 companies and 4,000 jobs in the aeronautical sector (Exameca, MAP, SEDEMECA), logistics (SDV Logistics, Dachser France, Partnair, Henry Johnson Co Ltd), Electronics (Aquitaine Electronics) and Services.
The runway receives military traffic due to the presence on site of the Airborne Troops School. A Combat Helicopter Regiment (the 5th RHC) and a Special Forces Helicopter Regiment (4th RHFS) are also locally based. This activity is reflected in the presence of around a hundred Gazelle, Puma, Cougar and Tigre military helicopters and a maintenance center.
Pau Pyrénées Airport welcomed 612 580 passengers in 2018. It is frequented mainly by a business clientele, particularly related to large companies in the region (Total, Safran, Euralis, Lindt, TIGF, Toray, Abengoa...) which are among the European leaders in their fields (geosciences, aeronautics, agribusiness, chemistry and materials). Business travel accounts for about two-thirds of its traffic. It also welcomes a tourist clientele that represents a significant potential for development.
Between the sea and the mountains, 50 minutes from Lourdes, 1 hour 15 from the ski resorts of the Pyrenees and 1 hour 15 from the beaches of the Basque Country and Landes, the airport offers through its region a profusion of activities, sporting, festive and cultural events, unsuspected natural wealth, a remarkable historical heritage, not to mention a renowned gastronomy.
