Departure
98%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Pau Pyrénées Airport lies at Uzein, some 10 km northwest of Pau in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-west France, serving both scheduled civil traffic and a significant military presence. It offers a single long hard-surfaced runway equipped with ILS, full ATC services and is one of only three airports in south-west France fitted with a Category III all-weather landing system, making it a useful and well-equipped destination for a simulated approach into the foothills of the Pyrénées.
Pau Pyrénées Airport (ICAO: LFBP, IATA: PUF) serves the city of Pau in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, with the airfield itself situated at Uzein, about 10 km northwest of the city. It is operated as a public service delegation by the Air'Py group, jointly formed by the Pau Béarn Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Egis Airport Operation. Alongside its civil terminal, the airfield hosts substantial military activity, giving it a mixed character that a visiting simulator pilot will notice in the mix of airline, general aviation and military movements around the field.
The airfield sits in the Béarn area of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, in the commune of Uzein, roughly 10 km (6.2 miles) northwest of Pau. It is a controlled aerodrome with its own approach, tower and ground frequencies, reflecting its role as a regional hub for south-west France with regular airline services alongside military flying.
Pau Pyrénées has a single physical runway, 13/31, some 8155-8156 ft (roughly 2500 m) long with a hard surface and runway lighting. An ILS is provided for runway 31, and the airport is noted as one of only three in south-west France (alongside Bordeaux and Toulouse) equipped with a Category III all-weather instrument landing system, allowing operations in low visibility.
Pilots should expect to work Pyrénées Approach on 121.175 MHz, with the airport's ATIS broadcasting on 128.475 MHz, Ground on 121.75 MHz and Tower on 124.15 MHz. The field's ILS on runway 31, including its Category III capability, supports precision approaches in poor weather.
The airfield has a mixed civil and military history. Military installations on the south side of the field are home to the 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment and the 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment, as well as the French Army's paratrooper training. On 25 January 2007, an Air France-operated Fokker 100, Flight 7775 bound for Paris, crashed shortly after take-off from Pau; all 54 passengers and crew on board survived, though one person on the ground was killed, with an investigation attributing the accident to airframe icing. In 2015 Airbus announced plans to build its E-Fan electric aircraft at a new facility at Pau Pyrénées, chosen for its proximity to the Daher-Socata plant at Tarbes, though the programme was subsequently cancelled in 2017 before production began.
Pau Pyrénées remains an active mixed civil-military airfield. Scheduled and charter services are operated by carriers including Air France (to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and seasonally to Ajaccio and Figari), Amelia International (Paris-Orly), Chalair Aviation (seasonal routes to Brest and Kerry), Transavia (Paris-Orly) and Twin Jet (Lyon). The airfield continues to host French Army helicopter regiments and paratrooper training alongside its civil operations, and its Category III ILS supports reliable all-weather access for visiting traffic.