November 11th, 2009 | 
Author: Bergerac Airport, the principal air travel hub for the Dordogne region of France, is reportedly under threat from smaller, cheaper rivals in the region.
According to the French news website, Sudouest.com (South West), Bergerac faces being undercut by three competing airports in the south west region. Smaller facilities in Brive, Bordeaux and Agen have begun to compete fiercely with the larger, more established Bergerac.
It is believed that the smaller airports are likely to undercut Bergerac by establishing regular flights with discount airlines such as Ryanair or Easy Jet. Airport and local business officials know that this could drastically change how air passengers enter and travel through the region.
Jean-Pierre Belves, the president of Dordogne CCI for international flights, said that “If Brive opens a line to London with Ryanair, it is clear that [Bergerac airport] will lose 30% of passengers who come from Sarlat”. Sarlat is a medieval town in the North of Dordogne that is extremely popular with visitors taking a french holiday in the region.
Gribelin Olivier, director of Bergerac airport, reportedly believes that the new Brive airport and the tiny facility of Agen pose a serious question to his business. The new airport is explicit about its target; its full name is the “Brive-Dordogne Valley”, and it clearly aims to cut into the market for the Dordogne department and the wider Aquitaine region. And even though Agen airport has a runaway so small that it can only take flights from aircraft with less than 100 passengers, its position near Bordeaux and the southern border is threatening. Sudouest.com says that it could attract 22% of travellers who intend to travel to Lot-Et-Garrone or overland to Italy or Portugal.
Though the predicted expansion of the region’s airports through discount airlines may threaten the established order of Dordogne air travel, it is bound to be good news for anyone contemplating a french holiday in the next year. If the new airports can offer a direct flight to the area for British holiday makers, rather than the current route which involves a transfer at Perigeux, then travelling to Dordogne would be easier than ever.
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