More than forty international destinations: where to go this summer from the region's airports ?

Transavia participe fortement à l'offre vers l'international, essentiellement le bassin méditerranéen, de l'aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée. La compagnie est devenue la premier partenaire de la plateforme. Midi Libre – MICHAEL ESDOURRUBAILH

Like every year, the region's airports are strengthening their destination offerings for the summer season. If these offers above all make it possible to attract holidaymakers, particularly from Northern Europe, they also give the inhabitants of the former Languedoc Roussillon the opportunity to seize holiday opportunities outside France.

It’is the unchanging ritual of every spring : the various airports in the region expand their programs in anticipation of the big summer departures. More than forty different cumulative destinations are thus offered for this summer of 2024, most of them from June and with seasonality.

If, for many of them, it is a question of attracting tourists, particularly from Northern Europe, in order to boost the regional economy, it is not enough. rsquo;prevents: it is also a question, for the inhabitants of the region, of seizing some great opportunities to make the opposite journey. History, among other things, of avoiding the road to Marseille, Toulouse, or even Barcelona, ​​to take the plane for vacation.

"Ahead of our filling forecasts"

Unsurprisingly, it is from Montpellier that the departure proposals will be the most numerous. Between the Mediterranean basin and northern Europe, the choices are multiple. Thanks in particular to Transavia, the low-cost subsidiary of the Air France group, which will thus offer an international offer reinforced by 30% compared to summer 2023. "Transavia is today the first partner of the airport platform", underlines Emmanuel Brehmer, chairman of the board of directors of the Montpellier Méditerranée airport company.

"Departing from Montpellier, we are opening three new destinations: Rabat, Istanbul and Constantine", comments Nicolas Hénin, deputy general director of Transavia, came to Montpellier last Thursday to present the summer program. Although the Montpellier airport had to close certain routes, such as Berlin and Stockholm, it nonetheless maintained a full program.

Destinations complementary to those of Montpellier

The great asset of Montpellier is that it has continued to diversify its partnerships by working with other companies. This summer, British Airways, Lufthansa, Royal Air Maroc, Luxair, easyJet, Norwegian, Scandinavian airlines, KLM and even Air Arabia will land their planes on the Languedoc tarmac. With, at the end, other different destinations. "It’is one of the essential strategies to continue to develop", insists Emmanuel Brehmer. And avoid seeing regional holidaymakers go to increase attendance at other airports in the south of France.

But whether we complain or rejoice, the former Languedoc Roussillon has a network of airport platforms like we see few of them elsewhere. And this richness gives a particularly rich overall offer. With, sometimes, complementarities with that displayed by Montpellier Méditerranée. This is the case, for example, of destinations like Stockholm, closed by the latter, and maintained by Béziers. Or even Porto, offered by Nîmes and Carcassonne. Without forgetting some unique routes such as East Midlands, Cagliari, Edinburgh and Leeds, signed by Ryanair, often an exclusive partner of other regional airports.

A reinforced offer to North Africa

As recalled by Isabelle Roumagnou, director of Béziers airport, "85 % of passengers welcomed are foreigners". The flight from Stockholm is also "83 % Swedes". If the lines are mainly intended to develop "import traffic", they are unfortunately not always understood by regional vacationers. Except perhaps those from the Algerian, Moroccan or Portuguese diasporas settled in the region, who have, this year like never before, an extremely rich choice. The opening, by Transavia, of destinations such as Oran, Constantine, Algiers, Lisbon, Rabat and Tunis, constitutes a response to the expectations of these populations. Just like the offer to Morocco also offered by the airports of Perpignan and Nîmes.

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