Toulouse–Blagnac Airport Explained

Toulouse Blagnac Airport
Nativename:	Aéroport de Toulouse – Blagnac
Image2-Width:	250
Iata:	TLS
Icao:	LFBO
Type:	Public
Owner:	City of Toulouse
Operator:	Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Toulouse
City-Served:	Toulouse Métropole
Location:	Blagnac, Haute-Garonne, France
Elevation-F:	497
Website:	toulouse.aeroport.fr
Coordinates:	43.635°N 1.3678°W
Pushpin Map:	France Occitanie#France
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location of airport in Occitanie region
Pushpin Label:	LFBO
Pushpin Label Position:	bottom
Metric-Rwy:	y
R1-Number:	14R/32L
R1-Length-M:	3,500
R1-Surface:	Asphalt concrete
R2-Number:	14L/32R
R2-Length-M:	3,000
R2-Surface:	Asphalt concrete
Stat-Year:	2017
Stat1-Header:	Passengers
Stat1-Data:	9,264,611
Stat2-Header:	Passenger traffic change
Stat2-Data:	14.6%
Stat3-Header:	Aircraft movements
Stat3-Data:	95,192
Stat4-Header:	Aircraft movements change
Stat4-Data:	2.2%
Footnotes:	Source: French AIP French AIP at EUROCONTROL<
Hub:	Airbus Industrie

Toulouse–Blagnac Airport (French: Aéroport de Toulouse–Blagnac) is an international airport located 3.6NM west northwest of Toulouse, partially in Blagnac, both communes of the Haute-Garonne department in the Occitanie region of France. In 2017, the airport served 9,264,611 passengers.^[1] As of April 2017, the airport featured flights to 74 destinations, mostly in Europe and Northern Africa with a few additional seasonal long-haul connections.

Both Airbus and ATR manufacture aircraft at nearby facilities and test them from the airport.

The airport covers 780 hectares (1,927 acres) of land.^[2]

Facilities

Terminal

The airport consists of one passenger terminal divided into four halls which provide 68 counters and 34 gates on 100000sqm floor space:^[3]

• Hall A features 14 check-in counters and eight aircraft stands for regional aircraft on domestic services.
• Hall B is the oldest area, opened in 1978, and contains 16 check-in counters and 10 gates.
• Hall C is equipped with 24 counters and 6 boarding gates for European destinations.
• Hall D is the newest addition to the airport, opened in 2010, and is used for international and long-haul services with 14 check-in counters and 10 boarding gates.

Runways

The airport is at an elevation of 499feet above mean sea level. It has two asphalt-paved runways: 14R/32L is 3500mx45mm (11,500feetx148feetm) and 14L/32R is 3000mx45mm (10,000feetx148feetm).

A Concorde formerly operated by Air France with the registration F-BVFC is preserved at the Aeroscopia Museum near the airport. Airbus and ATR utilize runway 32L/14R for flight testing and delivery flights, while runway 32R/14L is used by commercial flights coming in to Toulouse (Airbus also uses this runway for formation flights). Also, the Airbus Delivery Center is on the runway 32L/14R side.

Ownership

Toulouse–Blagnac Airport SA is a limited liability company; the share capital is €148,000 and it has authority to operate the airport until 2046 under a franchise agreement awarded by the French government. The current CEO is Philippe Crébassa.^[4]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Toulouse:^[5]

Cargo

Access

Tram

Since April 2015, the T2 tram line connects Toulouse with the airport every 15 minutes.^[6] The tram connects with metro ligne A at Arènes and metro ligne B at Palais de Justice. It takes about 35 minutes with a change to go to the city center by tram.

Bus and coach

Shuttle buses to Toulouse city centre stop outside Hall B every 20 minutes. Faster than the tram, they take approximately 20 minutes to reach the city centre, stopping at Compans-Caffarelli and Jeanne d'Arc (both on Metro Line B), Jean Jaurès (Metro Line A and B) and at Toulouse-Matabiau railway station.^[7] Three daily coach services^[8] connect Toulouse–Blagnac Airport to Andorra, which does not have its own commercial airport.

Accidents and incidents

• On 29 January 1988, Inter Cargo Service Flight 1004, operated by Vickers Vanguard F-GEJF, crashed when takeoff was attempted with only three fully operable engines.^[9]
• On 17 June 1988, the prototype ATR 42-200, registered as F-WEGA, crashed shortly after lift off while performing an engine failure test. All three crew members survived.^{[10] [11]}
• On 30 June 1994, an Airbus A330-300 performing a test flight crashed shortly after takeoff, due to a series of mistakes while conducting a flight test simulating an engine failure. All seven people on board died in the accident.^[12]
• On 15 November 2007, a brand-new Airbus A340-600 due to be delivered to Etihad Airways ran up and over the top of a concrete sloped blast-deflection wall during an engine test at the Airbus factory at the airport. This was due to the crew not following proper test procedures, raising all four engines to maximum thrust while the wheels were un-chocked. The attempt to steer away from the wall resulted in decreased braking power. Five people were injured and the aircraft was written off.^{[13] [14]}

See also

• List of the busiest airports in France
• Boeing Everett Factory (in Snohomish County Airport) — in Washington state, United States

External links

• Official website
• Aéroport de Toulouse – Blagnac (Union des Aéroports Français)
• Radar Toulouse (Realtime flight tracker)
  • • LiveATC.net (Toulouse)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Résultats de trafic. n.d.. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130506095007/http://www.toulouse.aeroport.fr/fr/aeroport/groupe-aeroport/resultats-de-trafic . 6 May 2013. fr. Toulouse Aeroport. 2013-10-29.
2. Web site: Toulouse-Blagnac Airport Civil Engineering Projects. peri.ng. October 17, 2023.
3. Web site: About Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS). n.d.. World Travel Guide. 2022-08-12. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20220812222850/https://www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/europe/france/toulouse/toulouse-blagnac-airport/. 2022-08-12.
4. Web site: Airport Overview. Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. 19 February 2020. dead. 2015-06-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20150615165857/http://www.toulouse.aeroport.fr/en/corporate/company/airport-overview.
5. Web site: List of Destinations. 2022. Toulouse Airport. 2022-08-12.
6. Web site: Public transport. 2022-08-12.
7. Web site: Flybus, the airport shuttle. Toulouse Aeroport. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100524132831/http://www.toulouse.aeroport.fr/airport/access-transport-car-park/access/public-transportation/navette-city-centre. 2010-05-24. 24 May 2010. 2013-10-29.
8. Web site: HOW TO GET FROM Toulouse Airport (TLS) to Andorra BY BUS OR CAR. Rome 2 Rio. 6 January 2018. dmy-all.
9. Web site: Accident description . Aviation Safety Network . 9 October 2009.
10. Web site: Crash of an ATR42-200 in Toulouse Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives . 2024-08-11 . www.baaa-acro.com.
11. Web site: Accident ATR 42-200 F-WEGA, Friday 17 June 1988 . 2024-08-11 . asn.flightsafety.org.
12. Web site: ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A330-321 F-WWKH Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS). Harro. Ranter. aviation-safety.net. 31 May 2017.
13. Web site: F-WWCJ Final Report . Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la sécurité de l'aviation civile. 22 January 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210125020529/https://www.bea.aero/docspa/2007/f-cj071115/pdf/f-cj071115.pdf. 2021-01-25.
14. News: Etihad Airbus Crashes Into Wall During Testing . 16 November 2007. Airline World. 28 June 2014.