Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport

Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport is the principal airport of Bordeaux and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France, located in Mérignac 7 mi (11 km) west of central Bordeaux. BOD handles 124 routes to 86 destinations operated by 30 airlines. The airport serves a rapidly growing catchment — the Bordeaux metropolitan area's population has expanded sharply over the past two decades, driven by the city's global renown as a wine capital, the 2017 arrival of LGV high-speed rail service that cut Bordeaux–Paris rail time to 2 hr 4, and the city's emergence as one of France's most attractive regional economies. The airport shares its site with a major aerospace and defense industrial cluster that includes Dassault Aviation, Safran, Thales, and ArianeGroup operations, giving BOD an unusually high industrial-flight content alongside its commercial traffic. Air France operates substantial daily service on the Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly corridor, though TGV competition has reshaped this market since 2017. Ryanair, easyJet, Volotea, Transavia France, Vueling, Wizz Air, Air Corsica, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss, Turkish Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Tunisair, Air Algérie, ASL Airlines France, Binter Canarias, and seasonal North American charter operations complete the mix. EasyJet operates a meaningful base at BOD, and Volotea has grown significantly. Scheduled long-haul service is limited. The route map emphasizes major European business centers, Mediterranean leisure destinations, and French overseas territories seasonal service. The airfield sits at 162 ft (49 m) elevation with two asphalt runways: 05/23 at 10,171 ft (3,100 m) and 11/29 at 7,923 ft (2,415 m). Two terminals operate — Hall A (traditional full-service carriers) and the low-cost Billi terminal for easyJet, Ryanair, Volotea, and other LCCs — a two-terminal split that is one of the cleaner implementations of the full-service/low-cost airport-within-airport model in France. Bordeaux's aviation heritage is substantial: the city was a critical aircraft-production center in both World Wars and remains central to French military aviation, with the adjoining Base Aérienne 106 hosting French Air Force operations.