Montpellier Airport Eyes Growth with New Route Push
Montpellier Méditerranée Airport is accelerating efforts to expand its European network as it seeks to tap into growing demand from both business and leisure travelers. Located just 8 kilometers from the southern French city of Montpellier, the airport serves a catchment area of 2.1 million people within an hour’s drive and is actively targeting new air services to enhance its connectivity across Europe and North Africa.
In 2024, Montpellier Airport demonstrated strong post-pandemic resilience by recovering 93 percent of its 2019 passenger traffic. The airport recorded more than 1.7 million passengers last year, a 3 percent increase from 2023, thanks to a balanced mix of legacy and low-cost carriers. This upward trend in passenger numbers has bolstered its appeal to airlines considering route expansion opportunities.
Several new routes and service enhancements are already in place for 2025. SWISS is set to begin operations at Montpellier with the launch of a new route to Zurich on June 27. Transavia France is also growing its footprint, adding new service to Bastia and boosting frequencies to Tunis. A new route to Agadir is planned to start in October 2025. Volotea, meanwhile, will begin flights to Rennes, further increasing domestic connectivity. Major carriers are also expanding frequencies, including Air France, which will operate up to six daily flights to Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Discover, which is adding a third weekly flight to Frankfurt.
Montpellier’s appeal extends beyond tourism. It is located in France’s fastest-growing region, which boasts the country’s highest rates of population growth and net migration. The area is also home to more than 75,000 students, creating year-round travel demand. These demographics, combined with the airport’s lack of slot constraints and a competitive incentive scheme, position it as an attractive option for airlines seeking expansion into underserved or unserved markets.
To support this, Montpellier has identified and promoted a number of unserved route opportunities via Routes 360. Key unserved markets include major cities in Germany such as Berlin, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, and Munich, as well as high-potential UK destinations like Edinburgh, Bristol, Birmingham, and Manchester. Additional opportunities span across Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Nordics, Eastern Europe, and North Africa. These include Dublin, Madrid, Venice, Oslo, Warsaw, Vienna, Prague, and Budapest, as well as Casablanca, Algiers, and Djerba.
With its distinct catchment area, robust infrastructure, and expanding route network, Montpellier Méditerranée Airport offers a strategic gateway for airlines looking to build out regional and international links. The airport’s targeted approach, showcased on its Routes 360 profile, invites carriers to explore opportunities for sustainable and profitable growth in one of France’s most dynamic regions.
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