Airport Guides

Birmingham Airport sits 12 km east of Birmingham city centre and is the UK’s #7 airport. Single elongated terminal (T1+T2 merged via Millennium Link), free Air-Rail Link monorail to Birmingham International railway station in under 2 minutes, then trains to Birmingham New Street in 10 minutes for £4-7. The UK is NOT in Schengen, so EES does NOT apply at BHX — but visa-exempt travellers need a UK ETA (£20 since 8 April 2026).

Pisa Galileo Galilei sits 2 km south of Pisa centre — the closest major Italian airport to its city. Single compact terminal, 16 gates, PisaMover people-mover direct to Pisa Centrale in 5 minutes for €6, EES live since 10 April 2026. Ryanair and easyJet dominate; the Tower of Pisa is a 25-minute walk from the airport. 5.5M passengers in 2024 — Tuscany’s primary low-cost gateway with onward train access to Florence in 1 hour.

Düsseldorf Airport sits 6 km north of the city centre and is Germany’s #4 airport after Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin. Three terminals (A Lufthansa, B Schengen + DUS Rhein Lounge, C Emirates + long-haul) connected by SkyTrain monorail, S-Bahn S11 direct to Hbf in 12 min, EES live since 10 April 2026. Long-haul from the Gulf and beyond — Emirates A380 to Dubai, Etihad to Abu Dhabi, Turkish to Istanbul, British Airways to London, Condor seasonal to New York and the Caribbean. The 23 February 2026 Hugo Junkers Lounge → DUS Rhein Lounge rebrand modernized the public lounge.

Palermo Falcone-Borsellino sits 35 km west of Palermo centre — Italy’s most distant capital airport, named after the two anti-Mafia magistrates assassinated in 1992. Single terminal, Trinacria Express train direct to Palermo Centrale in 50 minutes for €5.90, EES live since 10 April 2026. Ryanair and Wizz Air dominate; western-Sicily-bound travellers should fly here, not CTA.

Bergen Flesland sits 20 km south of Bergen city and is Norway’s #2 airport after Oslo Gardermoen. Single terminal, Bybanen Light Rail Line 1 direct to terminal in 44 minutes for ~NOK 49, EES live since 10 April 2026. Norway is Schengen but NOT EU and NOT Eurozone — uses Norwegian krone. Gateway to Sognefjord, Hardangerfjord, Bryggen UNESCO Hanseatic wharf, and Europe’s wettest major city.

Malta International is the only airport on the Maltese archipelago — 8 km from Valletta, single terminal, with TD1-TD4 express buses and 205/208/214/233 day routes covering the whole island (the old X1-X4 buses were withdrawn in April 2025). KM Malta Airlines (since March 2024 — successor to Air Malta) is the flag carrier; Ryanair via Malta Air subsidiary is the dominant LCC. EES live since 10 April 2026. Malta has been Eurozone since 2008 and Schengen since 2007.

Sevilla Airport (San Pablo) sits 10 km northeast of central Sevilla and is the Andalusian capital’s gateway. Single terminal, EA airport bus to city centre via Santa Justa AVE rail station in 35 minutes for €6, EES live since 10 April 2026. Vueling and Ryanair are focus carriers; Iberia + Iberia Express cover Madrid links with onward Latin America connections. Sala VIP Azahar airside lounge open to Priority Pass and paid walk-in.

Catania-Fontanarossa sits 5 km south of Catania centre, in the shadow of Mount Etna, and is Sicily’s busiest airport. Two terminals (A main; C used exclusively by easyJet Schengen), AMT Alibus the practical city link in 25 min for €4, EES live since 10 April 2026. The Etna eruption ash periodically closes runways — a uniquely Catanese travel variable. Ryanair and Wizz Air dominate; Lufthansa Group + Turkish handle the long-haul connection routings.

Faro Airport sits 6 km west of Faro city and is the gateway to the Algarve — Portugal’s southern resort coast. Single terminal expanded to 9M capacity in 2017, now handling 10M+ passengers (2025). Ryanair dominant carrier, EES live since 10 April 2026 — but Portugal has been struggling with peak-summer queues, and the PSP has periodically suspended biometric departure capture during peak waves. The honest 2026 guide.

Tirana International Mother Teresa sits 17 km northwest of Tirana centre and is Albania’s only international airport. Single terminal expanded to 11M annual capacity in 2025, Wizz Air’s largest base anywhere with 40+ destinations, Ryanair opened a four-aircraft base in March 2026. Albania is NOT Schengen and NOT EU — EES does NOT apply at TIA. The gateway to the Albanian Riviera, Bunk’Art, and one of Europe’s last underrated capitals.

Göteborg Landvetter sits 25 km east of Gothenburg city centre and is Sweden’s #2 airport after Arlanda — 5.3M passengers in 2024, single unified terminal post-2023 expansion, EES live since 10 April 2026. Flygbussarna airport coach is the way in; SAS dominates with the Star Alliance lounge stack; and Sweden runs on Swedish krona (SEK), not euros. Gateway to the west coast, Volvo Cars HQ, IKEA’s home country, and the gritty creative-port culture.

Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa sits 12 km west of Main Town and is the only Polish airport with a direct rail link inside its terminal — the PKM (Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway) reaches all three Tricity centres in 25-60 minutes. Single Terminal T2, Wizz Air dominant at 47% of Q1 2026 traffic, EES live since 10 April 2026. The airport that connects the Solidarity birthplace, the world amber capital, and the Sopot beach in one Tricity bundle.

Lyon Saint-Exupéry sits 25 km east of Lyon centre and is connected by the Rhônexpress tram-train in 30 minutes for €17.10. Two terminals, an integrated TGV station, and EES live since 10 April 2026. Air France’s third-largest French hub, the gateway to the French Alps, and the airport you fly into for Lyon’s bouchons and Paul Bocuse-tier gastronomy.

Bologna Guglielmo Marconi sits 6 km from Bologna Centrale and is connected by the Marconi Express monorail in 7 minutes for €12.80. Single terminal, two piers, EES live since 10 April 2026. Lufthansa Group’s deep central-Italy hub plus Ryanair’s third-largest Italian base, with Bologna Centrale the high-speed rail pivot to Milan, Florence, Rome, and Venice.

Paris Orly is the second airport, the southern airport, and since 24 June 2024 it’s also the airport on the Paris Metro. Line 14 finally connects ORY directly to Châtelet in 25 minutes for €14. Four terminals (1, 2, 3 connected; 4 separate), Air France’s domestic and Schengen base, EES live since 10 April 2026. The honest 2026 guide: Metro 14 vs OrlyVal+RER B vs T7, the lounge truth, and the ORY-vs-CDG decision tree.