Quite logically, when we have to fly by plane, we first care about the price, the company that will transport us and generally a little less about the airport that we will have to explore on departure and arrival, or even somewhere in transit.
However, even if it is not us who chooses (even if…), nothing prevents us from finding out in advance what awaits us. Because just like with companies, at airports we find the best and the worst…
Today we head to the Mediterranean and Nice-Côte d’Azur airport.
Between commercial flights and private jets
After the Paris airports of Orly and Roissy, Nice-Côte d’Azur is the third in France and the first in the provinces with almost 15 million passengers a year.
It must be said that between its geographical location, the reputation of the city and its region, the nearby Monaco connected to Nice by helicopter or the transport to Paris, which still makes sense compared to the train competition, there are of course people arriving or departing from Nice airport. In the context of both commercial flights and private jets, this sector remains a far from negligible activity for the Nice platform, which is the second in Europe at this level after Paris-Le Bourget.
The fact remains that the vast majority of people arrive on commercial flights, both scheduled and low-cost, especially easyJet, which offers more than 40 routes from Nice. Because there is still quite a lot of choice in possible destinations, even in the United States or the Middle East, which have long since found their world.
And if we could expect, indeed, more praise and enthusiastic opinions about the services offered to the (wider) public for such an airport, we can always console ourselves with the fact that arriving by plane in Nice is regularly ranked in the Top5 “most beautiful airport approaches in the world”. We might as well know it and use it if we are to attract people to Nice one day…
Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport
Name : Nice Côte d’Azur Airport
Encoded: NCE
Distance to city center: 6 km southwest.
Commissioning: 1944
Other major airports nearby: as one might guess, it is Marseille airport (200 km away) with 10 million passengers per year that remains the main competitor – or complement – to Nice airport in the region.
Transportation and movement
Operation: 14,189,965 passengers (2023)
World attendance ranking: 42Thursday in Europe and 3Thursday in France (2023)
Number of Device Moves: 157,459 (2023)
Number of companies present: more than fifty from Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and North America. It is by far the low-cost airlines that offer the most flights, starting with easyJet and its 42 cities served from Nice.
Companies based there: none
Secondary basis: Air France, easyJet
Number of destinations served: 113 destinations including 16 in France, 74 elsewhere in Europe, 10 in North Africa, 9 in the Middle East and 4 in North America.
Infrastructure
Number of terminals: 2 + special terminal for private jets.
Number of tracks : 2
Transport in the city center and more: bus, shuttle, taxi, tram (line 2). The airport is also accessible by train, Nice-Saint-Augustin station is 500 meters away.
More information: www.nice.aeroport.fr
SkyTrax
It is a world reference in terms of rewards in the field of aviation, companies and airports (see their pages). Additionally, its numerous rankings are widely anticipated and commented upon annually.
As for Nice Airport, it was not included in the Top 100 Best Airports in the World in 2023, nor did it win any awards at an international level.
More details on Skytrax (see website):
- Overall note: 3/5
- Transport and access: 3.1/5
- Passenger security checks: 2.7/5
- Customs : 2.6/5
- Marking: 2.8/5
- Departure-arrival-transit facilities: 2.8/5
- Comfort and services: 2.7/5
- Boarding: 2.7/5
- Shopping: 2.8/5
You are looking for reviews of Nice Airport
There are many online platforms for rating anything and everything, including air travel of course. Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport Review:
Air Radar 24: around 2,500 reviews and an overall rating of 4/5 (see reviews).
Flight report: 400 reviews and an overall rating of 8/10 (see reviews).
Yelp.com: 100 reviews and an overall rating of 3.2/5 (see reviews).