ABOVE: Le Touquet airport looking northwest towards the beach and the south coast of England
Possibly the most popular European destination for British GA pilots, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage Aeroport is to be renamed after Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away in September aged ninety-six. Le Touquet is a popular lunch destination for pilots based in Britain, with many flying schools and clubs organising fly-outs. As part of the trips, visitors often use the on-site bicycle rental (now available with electric power) to travel into the nearby town.
The airport terminal was built in the 1930s to accommodate the British clientele who came in large numbers to take advantage of the attractions of the resort. In the 1950s, it became the third airport in France in terms of passengers behind Orly and Nice.
“The most British of French resorts has had unbreakable links with the United Kingdom,” said Guillaume Andraud, director of communications at the airport. “From its founder, Sir John Whitley, to the inspiring stays of the author of the James Bond saga, Ian Fleming, through the names of its villas or even its majestic belfry ringing Big Ben every hour of the day, everything at Le Touquet-Paris-Plage breathes a wind of British spirit and elegance.”
Image: Google Maps
