Often (mis)marketed as Paris–Beauvais, Beauvais–Tillé Airport is very much its own creature. Located about 85 km north of Paris, this no-frills airport is a familiar name to budget travelers, avgeeks, and anyone who has ever booked a suspiciously cheap European fare and wondered “how bad can it be?”
The answer: functional, efficient, and unapologetically low-cost.
An Airport Built for One Thing: Cheap Flights
Beauvais–Tillé Airport thrives on simplicity. With just a handful of terminals and a layout that prioritizes throughput over comfort, it’s designed to get passengers from bus → security → gate → aircraft with minimal friction. There’s little glamour here—no lounges, no architectural statements—but that’s exactly why airlines love it.
It serves primarily low-cost carriers, making it one of the busiest budget airports in France despite its relatively small size.
The City of Beauvais: An Unexpected Bonus
While many passengers never venture beyond the terminal, the nearby city of Beauvais is worth a brief detour. The highlight is the breathtaking Beauvais Cathedral, famous for having the highest Gothic choir in the world—a bold architectural ambition that partially collapsed, adding a layer of historical drama.
Beauvais itself feels provincial, calm, and distinctly non-Parisian—an antidote to the capital’s intensity.
My Flight from Beauvais: Eastbound to Iași
From Beauvais, I took one flight that perfectly captures the airport’s niche:
- Route: Beauvais (BVA) → Iași (IAS)
- Flight number: 0B6806
- Airline: Blue Air
- Aircraft registration: YR-BAG
This was a classic Beauvais pairing: a Western European secondary airport linked directly to Eastern Europe, bypassing major hubs entirely. For avgeeks and network nerds, Beauvais is fascinating precisely because of these point-to-point routes that would never survive at a primary airport.
Why Beauvais Still Matters
Beauvais–Tillé Airport may lack polish, but it plays a crucial role in Europe’s aviation ecosystem:
- It democratizes air travel
- It connects underserved city pairs
- It keeps costs brutally low
- It proves that airports don’t need luxury to be relevant
For travelers chasing experiences rather than amenities—and for those who see airports as gateways, not destinations—BVA/LFOB does exactly what it promises.
No more. No less. And somehow, that’s part of its charm.