- Description
Nantes Atlantique Airport (IATA: NTE, ICAO: LFRS) (French: Aeroport Nantes Atlantique, formerly known as Aeroport Château Bougon) is an international airport serving Nantes, France. It is located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southwest of the city, in Bouguenais.
The airport is operated by the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Nantes. It is currently the largest airport in the west of France, with a maximum capacity of three million passengers a year.
Nantes airport owes its origins to a military airfield, conceived in 1928 on part of the current site. In 1936/7 the Societe Nationale de Constructions Aeronautiques de l’Ouest opened an aircraft factory adjacent to the airfield, initially building MB.210 bombers, followed by M.S.406 fighters and LeO 45 bombers. In 1939 the first paved runway was constructed, with a length of 900 m (2,953 ft).
During World War II the airfield was briefly used as a British Royal Air Force base before being captured by German forces. Under occupation the aircraft factory was closed, and the airfield was used by the Luftwaffe as a base to bomb targets in England. As a consequence the airfield was hit by a damaging air raid on July 4 1943, which also destroyed the adjoining aircraft factory.
After the war the airfield was again put into service by the French Air Force. The aircraft factory was rebuilt, and has since built sections of the Vautour fighter and the Caravelle airliner, before becoming part of Airbus. In 1951 the first commercial operations started, with a new terminal built between 1954 and 1960 and runway extensions to cater for larger aircraft.
Nantes airport has a single ‘L’ shaped passenger terminal, which is divided into four numbered halls. Halls 1 to 3 form the long side of the ‘L’ and are zones within the same two story building, with baggage claim and check-in facilities on the ground floor, and departure lounges on the upper level. Hall 4 occupies a later single story building at right angles to the earlier building, but connected to it by a lobby.
The airport also has a separate freight terminal, situated to the south of the passenger terminal, which includes 6,000 m2 (65,000 sq ft) of entrepot storage. Also situated close to the passenger terminal is the Nantes factory of Airbus, which specialises in the construction of the centre wing box of the Airbus fleet of airliners and in the use of composite materials for creating structural components.
- AddressAeroport Nantes-Atlantique
Nantes
Pays de la Loire
44340
France - Map
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- Local Transport
The Tan Air shuttle bus is timetabled to meet scheduled flights and a ride to the centre of Nantes takes 20 minutes. Or from the Nantes station taking 30 minutes.
Get to the Airport from the Tramway terminus station "Neustrie", take the Aeroport Bus which normally costs 7,50€ and which terminates at Nantes Atlantique airport. You can use the 1,50€ 'Nantes transport' ticket for this bus. This will take around 35 minutes. From the the airport take the airport bus, buy your ticket from the driver, and tell him "only to Neustrie". You will have to pay 1,50€ only. You can use this ticket for 60 minutes for your onward journey with the tram. From Neustrie take tram 3, direction 'Marcel Paul'. You can change to another local bus or tram, just keep your total journey time below 60 minutes.
Another way to get to the airport is via the tram stop "Pirmil", where you can take bus line 98 to the stop "Aeroport". This will take about 35 minutes plus a very short walk.
- Photos