Departure
95%
vs 95%
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Caen-Carpiquet is the gateway airport for Normandy, sitting a few kilometres west of Caen and serving as the base for Chalair Aviation. It combines a full-length hard-surfaced runway with ILS approach for scheduled and business traffic alongside grass strips used for recreational flying, all within easy reach of the D-Day landing beaches and the historic city of Caen.
Caen-Carpiquet Airport (ICAO: LFRK, IATA: CFR) lies in the commune of Carpiquet on the western edge of Caen, in the Calvados department of Normandy. It is an international airport offering scheduled domestic services to cities such as Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse, with seasonal links to Corsica, and is the operating base of Chalair Aviation. For a visiting sim pilot the field is notable for combining a substantial hard-surfaced, ILS-equipped main runway with a pair of grass strips intended for lighter recreational aircraft, all set in the historic heart of Normandy.
The airport is located roughly 7 km west of Caen city centre, on the commune of Carpiquet, in the Normandy region of France. It lies within reach of Normandy's well-known D-Day landing beaches and the historic town of Bayeux, and is served by controlled airspace appropriate to a regional airport with scheduled traffic; Deauville Approach provides the approach service for the area.
Caen-Carpiquet has one main hard-surfaced runway aligned 13/31, lit, with a declared length of 5253 ft as runway 13 and 6221 ft as runway 31; runway 31 is equipped with an ILS. Alongside this, a second, grass-surfaced runway pair, 13L/31R, is available for recreational aviation, each direction measuring 2678 ft. Field elevation is 230 ft, at coordinates 49.1733, -0.45.
Pilots should expect the following frequencies at Caen-Carpiquet: Deauville Approach on 120.35 MHz; Caen ATIS on 123.08 MHz; Caen Operation on 131.4 MHz; Caen Ground on 121.79 MHz; and Caen Tower on 134.53 MHz. An ILS is available on runway 31 for instrument approaches.
Caen-Carpiquet Airport serves a region steeped in aviation and wartime history, sitting close to the D-Day landing beaches and the medieval heritage associated with William the Conqueror's castle in Caen, both of which draw visiting pilots and passengers to the area. The airport is today home to Chalair Aviation, which has its head offices on the field.
Caen-Carpiquet operates as a regional airport with year-round scheduled flights to major French cities including Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse, and seasonal services to Corsica between April and October, with additional charter destinations added during peak season. Since 1 July 2025 the airport has been administered by SEALAR under a public service delegation from the Caen la Mer agglomeration authority, and it is a member of the Normandy Airports Association, which links the region's main airfields. The airport is also the operating base of Chalair Aviation.