Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (
) , formerly known as Lyon Satolas Airport, is one
of the two airports located in the agglomeration of Lyon
, France
. The
airport is named after the French writer and pilot
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a
native of Lyon.
The
airport lies in Colombier-Saugnieu
, east southeast of Lyon city centre. Its two
runways are aligned north-south. It is an
important transport facility for the entire
Rhône-Alpes region.
Coach links connect the airport with the
centre of Lyon and other towns in the area including Chambéry
and Grenoble
.
History
The airport was inaugurated by
President
Valéry Giscard
d'Estaing on 12 April 1975 and opened to passengers a week
later.
It
was designed to replace the old Lyon-Bron Airport
which could not be extended as it was located in an
urban area.
In 1994
the LGV Rhône-Alpes high-speed
rail line brought TGV service to the airport,
providing direct trains to Paris
and Marseille
. The fan-shaped
canopy of the Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupéry
, designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, is the airport's most
notable architectural
feature.
Originally named
Lyon Satolas Airport, in 2000 the airport
and train station were renamed in honour of Lyonnais
aviation pioneer and writer
Antoine de Saint
Exupéry.
In 2007,
the airport served 7,320,952 passengers, making it France's fourth
busiest airport after Charles de Gaulle
, Orly
and Nice
airports.
Airlines and destinations

Aerial view of Lyon Airport
Terminal 1
Terminal 2
Terminal 3
References
-
http://www.lyonairport.com/index.php?module=cms_portlet_communiques_presse&desc=default&action=getDoc&id_doc=262
External links