IATA Code: FNI

Address: Airport Nîmes-Arles-Camargue
30800 Saint-Gilles

Distance From City: 12km

Terminal Guide: Here

Day Trip Possible: No

Passenger Numbers: N/A

Closest Alternative: Montpellier

OVERVIEW: Located in an excellent position between Montpellier and Aix-en-Provence, Nimes is a popular tourist destination. However, the ease of access via rail and road and the fact that the city has had a low population has highly restricted the development of the airport.
Airport Past: The airport originally was a naval air base and still has that function today, although a seperate passenger terminal has been constructed.
Airport Present: Typically with only a few flights a day, the terminal mainly is empty in between. Routes are generally seasonal.
Airport Future: At current passenger numbers, expansion looks unlikely unless a low-cost decides to divert passengers from another airport.

GETTING THERE: At 12km the airport is quite a distance from the main city of Nimes, which is much more inconvienient than if you had taken the train.
Bus: A shuttle bus connects the airport with Nimes which co-incides with all airport departures. The trip takes about 30 minutes and costs 5 EUR.
Train: No train station at the airport, although you can connect via other cities via the train station in Nimes.
Taxi: Taxi rank outside the airport. Expect a fare of around 20 EUR.
Car Hire: Avis, Europcar and Hertz all have stands at the airport.

GENERAL TIPS: Nimes is generally considered to be an easy airport to use, due to the lack of passenger throughput. Recently there has been as little as just one flight a day, so chances are you’ll be well prepared for.
Terminal: The airport is a small terminal with most of the facilities only open with flight times so don’t expect too much outside these hours. The airport, although small features a bar/coffee shop and restaurant as well as a general shop which is pretty much all you’ll need for a short stay here.
Facilities: Outside these few shops, the range of facilities is slightly more spartan. There is an ATM at the entrance to the airport. That is about it, although the terminal does offer free wireless internet access.
Nearest Hotel: No airport hotel. Closest hotels would either be in Garons (on the other side of the Motorway) or the Best Western Les Aubruns which is on the outskirts of the airport but not walking distance.
Nearby: The smaller towns of Garons, Bouillargues, Caissargues, and Saint-Cessaire are all on the route to Nimes from the airport.

BUDGET TRAVELLERS GUIDE: Nimes certainly is a cheaper place compared to some of it’s neighbouring cities such as Montpellier and Marseille, although it is handicapped slightly by not offering a range of flights. With Ryanair the sole operator to the airport, there are no competition for it’s flights.
Transport: Bus services are very reliable and at reasonable cost.
Accomodation: Generally cheaper than many places in France as it’s not a big, big tourist destination and not directly on the coast. That said, demand is highly seasonal.
Connections: Poor connections, with Ryanair being the only airline at the airport. The only destinations offers are Liverpool, London Luton and Brussels-Charleroi. Do expect further destinations to be added and pulled in the summer months.

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IATA Code: NCE

Address: Aéroport Nice Côte d’Azur
BP 3331, 06026 NICE

Terminal Guide: Here

Distance from City: 7km

Day Trip Possible: Yes

Closest Alternative: Toulon

Passenger Numbers: 9,800,000 (2009)

OVERVIEW: Low-cost airline, high-cost destination – Nice is possibly one of the most famous locations for a bit of indulgence. Based on the south coast of France, it also acts as the airport for Monaco, where many of the rich and famous choose to reside.
Airport Past: Nice has had a rich history, being in operation over 100 years. The airport is nicely located jutting out of the coastline and overlooks the cities. Many expansions have taken place over the years to make this France’s third largest airport after Paris Orly and Charles De Gaulle.
Airport Present: Despite the growth in many low-cost airlines, traffic has remained relatively stable as many of the routes simply overlapped other carriers who subsequently withdrew. Capacity is rated at 13,000,000 pax/year which should mean it’s fine for the near future.
Airport Future: The rate of expansion has slowed, with something like 0.5 bn EUR invested in the past ten years. Nothing major expected.

GETTING THERE: The airport is located just 7km from Nice and just off the southern motorway, which features one of the best drives in Europe.
Bus: Several bus services. There is a shuttle from Terminal 1 and 2 if you need to take it. (Most buses serve terminal 1). There are buses to a whole host of destinations, and you can get your tickets from the bus station offices in either terminal 1 or 2. A complete list of destinations can be seen here:
Train: There is a train station around 500m from the airport although this is an uncomfortable walk especially if you have heavy bags. There are buses to connect you with the airport.
Taxi: More or less 24 hours outside both terminals. Expect a cab fare to cost about 25-30EUR to Nice and more to other places.
Car Hire: Local companies have desks as well as Avis, Europcar, Sixt, Hertz in both terminals.

GENERAL TIPS: The airport has two terminals which are located a little way from each other and are not connected by foot. There is no real designated ‘low cost’ terminal unlike other airports such as Marsille, for example, Flybe and Ryanair depart Terminal 1, whilst Easyjet depart Terminal 2.
Terminal: Terminal 2 is the newer terminal although in truth there is not too much difference, and both are reasonably efficient with a good range of shops but not the largest spaces for sitting. Both feature great views of the runway.
Facilities: Good range of facilities. Club Premier – open to anyone using the airport more than 10 times a year, gives you stuff such as reserved parking and express queues. Prayer rooms, ATM machines, post office (T1) and business lounge. There is free wifi in the airport although your connection time is limited to 30 mins.
Nearest Hotel: No airport hotel as yet. The Radisson SAS is probably the closest major hotel to the airport.
Nearby: Many very scenic places nearby such as Beaulieu, Villefrance and the Promenade de Anglais.

BUDGET TRAVELLER’S GUIDE: Probably not a place you could come to on a budget – many things are more expensive than average for Europe. But the weather’s good, and flights are still reasonably cheap – with a return for under £50 on Easyjet certainly possible.
Transport: Bus service is very reasonable and the city has good facilities for getting around on. Taxis a little expensive.
Accomodation: Some extremely nice hotels here, and you’ll be paying a little premium for them. Towards Nice, with less views, the price is more reasonable. Don’t expect to find anything when events are on such as the Monaco Grand Prix with prices getting ridiculous.
Connections: Brilliant connections with a whole host of airlines flying from the two terminals including all the big European airlines. All major cities in Europe are covered and there is also a service to New York via Delta. On the low-cost side, Ryanair disappointingly has only one route (to Dublin) although unlikely it could ever hardball the airport into a deal. Easyjet have more: Belfast-International, Berlin-Schönefeld, Bristol, Brussels, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London-Gatwick, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Lyon [begins 4 November], Newcastle upon Tyne, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Rome-Fiumicino, Jet2 and Flybe also offer connections to the UK as do British Airways.

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IATA Code: NQY

Address: St. Mawgan
Newquay
Cornwall
TR8 4RQ
United Kingdom

Distance from City: 7km

Terminal Guide: Here

Day Trip Possible: Yes

Closest Alternative: Exeter

Passenger Numbers: 329,000 (2009)

OVERVIEW: Serving arguably one of the nicest areas of the UK, the Newquay airport has a relatively good catchment area covering most of Cornwall towards the extreme south-west of the UK. Popular with many Brits as a tourist destination owing to the nice scenery and good weather.
Airport Past: The airport has always had a commercial past although originally flights were very much short-haul and the airport operated in tandem with an military base on site.
Airport Present: Relatively new upgrades with the terminal refurbishments in 2006 and 2008 to give a capacity of 700,000 pax/year which is much in excess of current numbers. Many routes added and withdrawn by various airlines.
Airport Future: Newquay is always going to be a destination with uncertain demand patterns, but a masterplan has been drawn up to treble the number of passengers carried and update the airport further.

GETTING THERE: Around 7km from Newquay and accessible to many other popular tourist parts apart from the very far West.
Bus: Bus 556 connects Newquay, the airport and Padstow and is a regular public bus which serves the airport terminal. There is a shuttle service between Newquay and the airport which is timed specially for flight arrivals and departure but must be pre-booked.
Train: None at the airport, closest is Newquay itself.
Taxi: Plenty of taxis with the airport partnering up with a environmentally-friendly service. For Newquay, you are looking at around £15, Truro £40 and Penzance, £80.
Car Hire: Hertz and Europcar have counters here.

GENERAL TIPS: Airport pretty small but fine for the purpose. Very seasonal in traffic so much busier in the summer than winter.
Terminal: Not a large terminal with few opportunities for eating and shopping with only a couple of shops and no major brand names. Check-in and arrival areas are more functional as opposed to high quality. Do be aware that leaving you will be subject to a £5 airport development fee. Nice views of the runway.
Facilities: Not the greatest range but makes up for it somewhat with the addition of free wi-fi. New business lounge has opened which is no surprise. Other than this, very little.
Nearest Hotel: No hotel airport. The Airways Hotel is closeby as are a number of smaller lodges.
Nearby: Newquay has some of the best beaches in the UK, but nearby Truro and St Austell are well worth looking at.

BUDGET TRAVELLER’S GUIDE: Popular destination for Brits but not usually by flying, usually via car as a family destination. Prices to fly are not that cheap, with Ryanair ditching their London service; isn’t really viable to run a low-cost service here.
Transport: Fairly cheap bus transfers to Newquay but if you don’t have your own transport, it’ll work out more expensive especially if you want to tour the region a little.
Accomodation: Some really nice hotels but not cheap during the peak season. The popularity of many of the smaller lodges will reduce the cost but some may be closed outside the busier period.
Connections: Only a small range. The excellent Air Southwest are the main operator here with flights to Bristol, Cork, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, London-Gatwick, Manchester, Newcastle and Plymouth. Outside of this, Flybe have a Gatwick and Glasgow services. The rest are mainly season with Ryanair offering Alicante – possibly the furthest destination available.

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IATA Code: NCL

Address: Newcastle International Airport
Woolsington
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE13 8BZ

Terminal Guide: Here

Distance from City: 10km

Day Trip Possible: Yes

Passenger Numbers: 4,500,000 (2009)

Closest Alternative: Teeside

OVERVIEW: Not to be confused with Durham Tees airport, Newcastle airport is the main airport of the North East region, and handles the most passenger traffic.
Airport Past: Newcastle airport has always had a passenger-based past. Very popular with the local population for taking flights on summer holidays, the airport still has a huge charter base.
Airport Present: As the low-cost airlines took hold, various upgrades and extensions have taken place as the number of destinations grew rapidly.
Airport Future: Like many British airports, the airport has it’s own ‘Master Plan’ which plots growth, which forsees traffic increasing to 10,000,000 pax by the year 2016, with some £70m being invested during this period to facilitate this.

GETTING THERE: At just 10km from Newcastle, the airport is nevertheless very accessible from many of the larger towns in the North-East.
Train: The airport is connected to the Metro system which served Newcastle and Sunderland. Trains run regularly and the journey takes about 25 mins (Newcastle) or 55 mins (Sunderland). Very reliable and the first choice. Newcastle rail station is also connected to the Metro, allowing for further connections.
Bus: Public bus services run from Newcastle and Blyth, with numbers X77, X78, X79 and 101 serving the airport. Worth noting that the buses do not run on Sunday.
Taxi: Taxi rank located outside arrivals. Only one company here which means fixed prices but they are pretty reasonable.
Car Hire: Europcar, Alamo, Hertz, Avis and National all have counters here.

GENERAL TIPS: Passenger numbers are probably not stretching the terminal capacity, and you can expect and relatively uncrowded experience.
Terminal: Some mis-match between the old and new, but the new areas are nice. Relatively large shopping areas but gates can be a little painful, with the waiting areas not able to accomodate a large amount of passengers.
Facilities: Really good level of facilities for an airport of this size. Good range of restaurants and the range of shops is almost up with Stansted. Several airport lounges here which are welcome for business travellers. Foreign exchange, cash machines, tourist information, and prayer rooms available.
Nearest Hotel: There is an airport hotel being built and is due to be open in late 2010.
Nearby: Metro system opens up access to many places: Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, Seaburn are all easily accessible and by the sea.

BUDGET TRAVELLER’S GUIDE: Good destination, with vibrant nightlife. Newcastle is easily accessible and cheap from the airport, which we like a lot. Further destinations would increase it’s popularity.
Transport: Metro system is cheap compared to London’s underground and is pretty much all you need to get around for a short while.
Accomodation: Overall cheap compared to the rest of the UK. In the very city centre, expect to pay more especially during peak periods.
Connections: Good range of destinations. Easyjet are the main carrier here, serving Alicante, Barcelona, Belfast-International, Bristol, Faro, Geneva, Ibiza, London-Stansted, Málaga, Malta, Minorca , Murcia, Nice, Palma de Mallorca Paris-Charles de Gaulle,  and Rome-Ciampino although some only during the summer. Ryanair have chosen not to compete and only offer three destinations – Dublin, Girona and Oslo-Rygge.  Flybe and British Airways also operate here and possibly the most exotic route is Emirates to Dubai.

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IATA Code: NTE

Address: 44346 Bouguenais, France

Terminal Guide: Here

Distance from City: 8km

Day Trip Possible: Yes

Passenger Numbers: N/A

Closest Alternative: Poitiers, La Rochelle

OVERVIEW: Located on the east coast, Nantes is an easily accessible destination, especially from the UK. A long-time tourist favourite, and just 2hrs by TGV to Paris is in touching distance with many places in France.
Airport Past: Former military airfield, with commercial operations not starting until 1951. The airfield also was located close to an aircraft building facility, and indeed there is an Airbus factory still closeby.
Airport Present: The main building has seen some enlargement and upgrades with a current capacity of 3 million pax a year for the current terminal building, and has been successful for some time.
Airport Future: 2008 saw the go-ahead for a brand new airport at Nantes – this won’t be an upgrade but an entirely new project. Completion is not expected for some time.

GETTING THERE: Nantes is situated 8km from the airport which is covered fairly easily.
Train: No train services.
Bus: A shuttle bus runs every 30 minutes to and from Nantes, with the journey taking around 25 minutes and costing 7 EUR. If your destination is elsewhere there are other buses which cater for other cities but may need to be reserved in advance.
Taxi: Taxi rank outside the main arrivals. Expect a fare to cost about 25 EUR but is faster than the bus.
Car Hire: Avis, Europcar and Hertz have desks here.

GENERAL TIPS: Nantes airport is ostensibly made up of 4 halls which have their own departure gates, but in reality is a small airport. At times a busy schedule is served so the airport may be busy.
Terminal: Pleasant enough glass-fronted structure which has seen some development during it’s time. Not much space to walk around. First floor has several places to eat and hosts some departure gates which make a fine place to watch some aircraft. Relay store, and duty-free.
Facilities: Pretty well-stocked. Currency Exchange, ATM, Left luggage desk, Tourist Information,  Nursery, First Aid and Banking facilities. Wireless internet is available but at a charge.
Nearest Hotel: Hôtel Océania Nantes is the closest, almost walking distance but they provide a shuttle service.
Nearby: Several smaller French towns on the way to the East coast which are all possible for the casual traveller.

BUDGET TRAVELLER’S GUIDE: Decent choice for a destination and likely that flights may be cheaper from the UK due to shorter sector length. Bus transfer at 14 EUR return is a little overpriced.
Transport: Getting around Nantes is fairly easy and they have their own tram system which offers good value as well as excellent operating hours.
Accomodation: Above average by European standards but not excessively expensive. Seasonality means there will be better deals during the autumn and winter months.
Connections: Good connections already which will be improved by the new airport. British Airways no longer fly here, but CityJet fly from London-City, and Easyjet from London-Gatwick. Surprisingly, Ryanair do not offer a Stansted service any longer but instead fly from Dublin, East Midlands, Marseille and Shannon. The bulk of the other routes are provided via Air France and it’s subsidary companies Brit Air and Regional, an impressive array of routes including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Bastia, Calvi, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, Milan-Malpensa, Montpellier and Nice.

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IATA Code: NDR

Address: BP 141,
Aéroport de Nador, MOROCCO

Terminal Guide: N/A

Distance from City: 30km

Day Trip Possible: No

Passenger Numbers: 309,000 (2009)

Closest Alternative: Oujda

OVERVIEW: Nador covers the northern part of Morocco and indeed is not too far from Spain. Popular with tourists, it is also close to Oujda airport and enjoys a good location on the coast.
Airport Past: Used to be a tiny regional airport; in the past 10 years traffic has increased almost fourfold with the arrival of low-cost airlines.
Airport Present: As well as the low-costs, there are important links to European cities with Moroccan immigrants such as Brussels, Amsterdam and Madrid.
Airport Future: Good strategic position seems certain that there will always be a demand here, but with a terminal capacity of 750,000 pax/year it seems doubtful whether there will be any expansion.

GETTING THERE: The airport lies 30km to the north of the main town of Nador.  However, reaching the city is most difficult via public transport.
Train: No train service, which is a shame as the new rail system looks excellent.
Bus: No buses. This may change in the future depending on passenger numbers.
Taxi: Taxi is the only way at present and there will be plenty of options. Remember to negotiate a price first as rip-offs are pretty common. If there are several of you, it may be worth getting a larger van as this will reduce costs.
Car Hire: Mixture of local and international companies in the airport, advisable to book in advance.

GENERAL TIPS: Small airport, although tastefully designed from the outside. Traffic is very seasonal and is much busier in summer than winter.
Terminal: Small terminal but with bar/cafe and closed duty-free shop. Not an awful lot to do here but a pretty safe place to spend time. You have to fill out a departure card before leaving so don’t forget to do that.
Facilities: Truth be told not many facilities at the terminal, there is a bank (open during flight times only), ATM and also first aid centre.
Nearest Hotel: The rather confusingly named Hotel Barcelona (1*) is over the road from the airport.
Nearby: Nador being 30km north of the airport, there is largely nothing or very small settlements surrounding the airport.

BUDGET TRAVELLERS GUIDE: Brave choice for a destination and one that probably won’t feature in many to do lists. But Nador is very difficult to push as a budget destination unless you have a package holiday.
Transport: No public transport from the airport make this a big problem; although taxis are cheap (compared to the European cities), it is not that economical if in small groups.
Accomodation: Should not be a problem in Nador, in fact it’s unlikely you will find a place outside of that. Hotel costs are relatively cheap compared to Europe.
Connections: Decent range of destinations for a small airport but poor frequencies – many flights being only served twice or three times a week. No London service, with many Spanish cities being well served. Connection via London possible via Ryanair hubs Brussels-Charleroi, Madrid, Marseille, Paris-Beauvais and Reus.

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IATA Code: MJV

Address: Ctra. del Aeropuerto.
30720 Santiago de la Ribera/Murcia

Terminal Plan: Here

Distance from City: 30km

Day Trip Possible: Yes

Passenger Numbers: 1,600,000 (2009)

Closest Alternative: Alicante

OVERVIEW: Covering a nice little part of South East Spain, Murcia is another airport which covers many of the tourist resorts that are popular in the summer, but is hemmed in by a few larger airports like Alicante.
Airport Past: Occupying a location close to the seafront but protected by land, this was no surprise that the airport was used as a military base, which was converted to use for passengers in the 1960′s.
Airport Present: The current terminal has been around since the 1990s but has since enjoyed some upgrades to increase the size and amount of facilities.
Airport Future: Always guaranteed traffic although traffic has been stable since around 2005. There is a new airport being built for Murcia but is already several years behind schedule.

GETTING THERE: Notionally the airport is around 30km from Murcia city, in practice many people will be visiting the nearer tourist resorts and perhaps have their own transfers arranged.
Train: No train connection available although new airport should have this facility.
Bus: Not convienient but understandable for passenger numbers. Instead of serving all locations, there is one bus which takes you to Santiago de la Ribera from which you can make an onward connection. Beware as this bus only leaves three times a day.
Taxi: Available outside the airport. Not cheap though, approximately 50 EUR for a apprx. 45 min journey to Murcia.
Car Hire: Available inside the airport.  Local firms plus Avis and Europcar.

GENERAL TIPS: Murcia is a fairly small airport and probably likely to be helped that Ryanair have dropped a lot of flights here making it less crowded.
Terminal: Fairly new terminal building with new parts added on to it. By no means that large – the enlarged departure and arrival parts are almost as large as the main terminal giving it a slightly cramped feel if you are waiting to pass security.
Facilities: Range of facilities has improved although many are in departures. Gift shop, newsagents, food shop, 2 cafes and Subway. There are 2 ATM machines, tourist information and police station on site. Bear in mind that some shops close early which may mean they are closed if late at night.
Nearest Hotel: No airport hotel.
Nearby: Certainly worth checking out San Javier and Los Alcazares – both of which are within a few km of the airport and are on the coast.

BUDGET TRAVELLERS GUIDE: Difficult place to reach on a budget with limited cheap flights. Even in a sale this destination probably will not come up. Relatively few charter flights as well.
Transport: Depends on your destination. Most are reachable by public transport but involve a bus change.
Accomodation: Cheaper than average due to a large number of hotels and lots of tourists here. Good availability especially out of season.
Connections: Quite well connected but mainly to the UK. Ryanair fly to Bournemouth, Birmingham, Dublin, East Midlands, Leeds-Bradford, Luton and Stansted, with Jet2 and Easyjet offering further UK destinations. Not much in the way of other international flights although Norweigan do offer services to Bergen, Oslo-Gardermoen, Stavanger and Trondheim.

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IATA Code: MPL

Address: Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée
34137 MAUGUIO Cedex

Distance from City: 7km

Terminal Guide: Here

Day Trip Possible: Yes

Passenger Numbers: 1,200,000 (2009)

Closest Alternative: Carcassone, Marseille

OVERVIEW: Montpellier is a well-located airport in the South of France which is pretty close to many attractions. Not as busy as Marseille but certainly is viable as a destination in it’s own right.
Airport Past: Open since 1938, the airport, unlike many of the smaller airports in France has been carrying passengers for some time before the low-cost airlines.
Airport Present: With a Terminal opened since 1990, the airport has had a relatively stable amount of passenger numbers, which has been between 1,000,000 and 2,000,000.
Airport Future: The bigger Marseille airport relatively closely probably puts a limit on growth, however plans are in place to erect new buildings for cargo and offices at the airport.

GETTING THERE: Located just 7km from the airport, Montpellier is easily accessible and takes around 15 minutes.
Train: No train services.
Bus: Airport Shuttle line 120 runs in accordance with flight arrivals and departures. The cost is 5 Euros for a one-way transfer, with an extra 0.50 if you need to use a tram at the end of your journey.
Taxi: Taxi rank just outside the arrivals section of the airport.
Car Hire: Several car hire desks at the airport, including Avis, Europcar, Sixt and Hertz.

GENERAL TIPS: Slightly dated design of the airport, which is still pretty endearing. Little problem with queues, airport is pretty experienced at handling this amount of traffic.
Terminal: The terminal is fairly large and offers quite a good range of shops and places to eat including typical French food in a proper restaurant. There is a Relay newsagent after security as well as a wine shop and duty free.
Facilities: A good range of facilities here, including a seperate business centre, disabled facilities, lost and found deskm, travel agents, ATM machines and a nursery. Wifi is available but like many airports is not free.
Nearest Hotel: There is a hotel next to the airport, whose website you can see here: http://www.r-hotel34.com/
Nearby: Montpellier is not that large and is easily got around by bicycle, otherwise you could check out the nearby Perios and Carnon with their superb scenery over the Mediterranean.

BUDGET TRAVELLERS GUIDE: A good destination given that the city is one of the better ones connected to a low-cost airport. Cheaper flights sometimes (but not always) available here, and you might have to wait for a large sale.
Transport: At over 10 Euros for public transport to the city return, this is around an average cost but the short distance makes up for this. Inside the city, public transport is cheap and also benefits from a bike hire scheme.
Accomodation: Cheaper on the outskirts of the city and more expensive towards the inside; pretty much like any other city. Prices average for Europe but generally cheaper than Marseille.
Connections: British Airways no longer fly here, beaten off by the competition by Easyjet who fly to Luton and Gatwick and Ryanair who fly to Stansted. Aside from this Ryanair also fly to Hahn, Charleroi, and Leeds-Bradford. Not many other services here – Air France operate to Paris, Iberia to Madrid and also Transavia have also started here, operating to Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

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IATA Code: FMM

Address: Postfach 11 25,
87681 Memmingen

Terminal Guide: Here

Distance from City: 4km

Day Trip Possible: No

Passenger Numbers: N/A

Closest Alternative: Friedrichshafen

OVERVIEW: Marketed by Ryanair as ‘Munich West’, the airport is actually almost 100km from Munich. Not designated by IATA as a Munich airport which prevents the airport from directed marketing it as such, but enjoys a large catchment area consisting of smaller German cities.
Airport Past: Airport was previous used as a military base, which was used by the US and German airforces, which was closed.
Airport Present: 2006 saw the building of a new passenger terminal in order to convert the airfield for civilian usage, and scheduled flights started soon after.
Airport Future: Ryanair have increased their routes to 14 for 2010 indicating a success but airport unlikely to exceed capacity for a while unless other carriers arrive.

GETTING THERE: 3.8km from Memmingen; a good percentage of people will be communting to Munich (95km away).
Train: No train station at the airport. Nearest train station is in Memmingen, from which you can catch the bus for 2.50 EUR. Train is good for places on the way to Dortmund and Munich.
Bus: Public bus 2 and 810 both run to Memmingen train station and town centre at the same cost. As you probably can guess there is an Express Bus to Munich, which is timed with all arriving and departing flights. You can purchase the ticket on the bus.
Taxi: Available and about 10 minutes to Memmingen, pretty uneconomical for Munich which would take 1 hour 15 minutes to drive to.
Car Hire: The desks are available before the exit. Europcar, Hertz and Sixt. Due to the low usage of the airport, it is better to book in advance.

GENERAL TIPS: Just the one terminal and not too many flights arriving or departing. Unlikely to be very busy unless many flights are departing in a short period.
Terminal: New terminal which is pretty nicely designed, with a glass-fronted design. Inside is more sparsely formed, but the addition of a second floor has allowed extra gates. Virtually no facilities before security with the exception of a cafe. After security there are a couple more cafes, duty free shop, business lounge and terrace.
Facilities: Not the widest range but acceptable: Travel agents, Tourist Info, Car Hire. Little in the range of shops or banking facilities so perhaps best to have money before arrival. There is a pub directly outside the airport with beer garden; nice if it is a sunny day.
Nearest Hotel: No airport hotel, which is not a surprise. Closest hotel is Ferienwohnung Kruppa which is just over 1km from the airport.
Nearby: Memmingen is very close and is excellent to look around with the town having many medieval features.

BUDGET TRAVELLERS GUIDE: Good destination which has improved with the addition of more routes by Ryanair taking it to 14 in all. Cheap flights are often available here as the airport is relatively unknown but hampered by high holiday cost.
Transport: Fine if you are going to Memmingen, the Express bus charges 30 Euros to go to Munich, it is perhaps worth pricing up the options on the train or looking at Easyjet (who fly to Munich) with this in mind.
Accomodation: Not particularly cheap but Munich does offer a massive variety of places to stay, with most major hotel brands having property here.
Connections: Ryanair have connections to many good bases from here, including Stansted, Alicante, Dublin, Faro, Girona, Pisa, Porto and Valencia, although it is worth saying that many are served less than daily. Not many other flights here, although Wizz have a service to Kiev, Air Berlin to Berlin and TUI offering some holiday flights.

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IATA Code: RAK

Address:BP 13201, Marrakech, MOROCCO

Terminal Guide: Here

Distance from City: 6km

Day Trip Possible: Yes

Passenger Numbers: 3,100,000 (2008)

Closest Alternative: Nador

OVERVIEW: Not Morocco’s largest airport (this distinction goes to Casablanca), Marrakech is probably what most Europeans would associate with Morocco. A long-time tourist destination, the rise of low-cost airlines has made this an even more popular place. Ideally located off the southern tip of Spain, the flight times are not too arduous.
Airport Past: The airport was previously used as an airbase for the US and also as a cargo destination, which lives on to this day as the runway is able to accept 747 aircraft.
Airport Present: Recent upgrades have seen a new Terminal 1 built in 2008 which is one of the most eye-catching designs with a frosted glass ceiling. Definately worth a look to experience this.
Airport Future: With two relatively new terminals already, much probably won’t need to be done. Rumours of a third terminal buidling with would see the airport target the slightly longer-distance markets.

GETTING THERE: At only 6km from the city, this is a relatively quick journey and quite easy to make.
Trains: No train service.
Bus: Bus service which arrives every 20-30 minutes and costs MAD 3. Not an express service so will make several stops before final destination. The bus stop is around 800m away from the airport.
Taxi: Available; approximately MAD 60 for the 10-15 minute journey.
Car Hire: Available, with Hertz, Avis, Budget and Europcar having desks. Best to book in advance especially if landing late at night.

GENERAL TIPS: With the addition of the new terminal the airport overall handles the number of passengers very well. An all-year around busy place due to the climate so do prepare for queues at busy times.
Terminal: Airport split into two terminals following the new creation in 2008. Certainly worth looking at Terminal 1 – a vast space which looks great in the sunlight inside, and from the outside as well! Nowadays the older Terminal 2 is reserved for local and cargo flights.
Facilities: As you might have guessed the new terminal also brings up a wide range of facilities: shops, cafes, lounges, ATM, currency exchange, wireless internet. It is worth noting that the duty free does not take dirhams, only Euros or credit card so spend your currency on other things before getting to this point.
Closest Hotel: Nearest bookable hotel is Dar Rhizlane, which is apprx 500m from the airport
Nearby: With Marrakech so close, it may be worth checking out the nearby towns of Tachfine and Targa, both within 2km of the airport.

BUDGET TRAVELLERS GUIDE: Decent destination which offers good value for money but cheap flights are more difficult to come by, much different culture to Europe which may not suit every traveller.
Transport: Cheap by bus, if a little inconvienient. Taxi overcharging is rife here. Haggle the prices, or better still travel with other people.
Accomodation: Very cheap by European standards; even if the star ratings are not quite similar.
Flight frequency: Good, with most of the larger cities in Europe being served at least once a day, such is demand.
Connections: A large range of connections. Ryanair and Easyjet are hammering away at Atlas Blue and offering many of the same destinations. Gatwick is well served, with Ryanair choosing to fly from Luton. As yet, no services from Stansted, but popular with Southern France, Italy and Spain. Marseille, Milan, Madrid and Barcelona are well covered and should be fairly cheap to get to.

Need a pre-paid card to dodge Ryanair fees? We’ve teamed up with FairFX to offer you their anywhere card – get one for FREE (usually £9.95 for loading under £500). Any currency – anywhere – it’s ideal for everyone.