Bergerac airport injects €30million a year into Dordogne

Dordogne’s Bergerac airport injects around €30million a year into the local economy and has an “important positive impact” on surrounding departments too, according to a recent study.

The report, by tourism consultants Protourisme, also showed that two-thirds of the people who used it are British.

“There are two types of low-cost airports in France – those which mainly have passengers fly from them, and those which mainly have passengers fly to them,” Didier Arino, the Bordeaux director of Protourisme, told The Connexion.

“Bergerac is clearly in the second category, and we found its effect was important both for tourism, and because a significant number of people who now live or have second homes in the area say they bought because of the proximity to the airport.”

The study was carried out before the shock announcement last autumn that Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair was stopping its winter flight schedule at the airport. 

The airline said high taxes imposed by the French government made other destinations more attractive. Since then it has confirmed it will still offer services to Bergerac this summer.

The study, commissioned by the Dordogne Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), which owns the airport, concentrated on people who said they either holidayed or lived in the region because of the airport.

'No airport - no tourists'

People who said they would have driven or taken the train to reach Dordogne if the airport were not there were excluded.

“That way we were able to get a clear picture, because critics sometimes say if people did not fly, they would come using other transport,” said Mr Arino.

Holidays and weddings in Dordogne accounted for much of the tourism use of the airport.

“If the airport were not here, they [tourists] would not have come – it is as simple as that,” Mr Arino said.

The airport’s presence also made the department a more attractive proposition for people looking to move or buy second homes. 

“Just the cash injection from people buying properties, and doing them up, has a positive impact on the economy,” he said.

“And what is sometimes forgotten is that a large part of the taxes paid on property sales goes to regional governments.”

Tourism and property ownership combined accounted for the €30million financial benefit to Dordogne, making the airport one of the most important non-agricultural economic motors for the department.

The study’s findings came as no surprise to Christophe Fauvel, chairman of the Dordogne CCI.

“We always said that the airport was far more than simple transport infrastructure and this study provides evidence to support that,” he told The Connexion.

“The social benefits of the airport are backed by a verifiable, large injection of money into the local economy.”

Mr Fauvel also referenced the large number of Britons who use the airport: “They are important to us and the airport is important for them.”

He confirmed that Ryanair will resume services at Bergerac in the summer.

“It was a shock when they pulled out this winter but I am optimistic about the future,” he said.

“We have a 25-year relationship with them and I hope it will continue for another 25 years.”

For his part, Mr Arino said that despite the positive impact low-cost airlines have, local officials sometimes felt a “sense of embarrassment” about them.

This is mainly because of the opaque deals around marketing which many airlines, including Ryanair, use when seeking to establish and maintain routes.

“Where owners are local authorities, they are usually forbidden from giving direct subsidies, and so this system of marketing fees has developed,” he said.

“In my opinion it would be better if there was more transparency so the economic benefits are there for all to see.”