Tunisia is a favorite holiday destination for most tourists, including Russian ones. That is why every year at the height of the season, vacationers book tickets on Boeing 747 airliners and go to this fabulous country.
In total, there are 10 airports in Tunisia, 6 of which accept only domestic flights or charters from Europe, most often from France. International airports in Tunisia A They accept flights from all over the world, and Russian major cities are no exception. The list of airports in Tunisia is as follows:
- Tunis-Carthage;
- Enfidha-Hammamet;
- Monastir named after Habib Bourguiba;
- Zarzis-Djerba;
- Tauzar-Nefta;
- Tabarqa Ain Draham;
- Tina;
- Ksar;
- Matmata;
- El Borma.
The first four airports are international, while the other 6 serve, in most cases, domestic flights of the country.
Each of the airports receives aircraft from both foreign and Tunisian airlines, the most famous of which are:
- Nouvelleir Tunis - specializes in charter flights for transporting tourists to the resorts of Tunisia.
- Syfax Airlines - airliners make regular flights to Mediterranean countries.
- Tunisair is a national airline whose aircraft operate both international and domestic flights.
- Tunisair Express – serves domestic flights.
- Tunisavia - airliners operate charter flights for the Tunisian oil and gas industry.
The main carriers of passengers from Russia to Tunisia are Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Tunisair, Nouvelair and Aeroflot.
From Russian cities such as Moscow or St. Petersburg, flight time to Tunisia takes from 4 to 7 hours. There are very few direct flights, mostly all with short transfers in Paris, Milan, Istanbul. The tourist season ranges from early spring to mid-autumn.
Tunisair - national airline
Carthage
Tunis-Carthage Airport is located a few kilometers from the center of the capital, and is close to the resort area of Gammarat. It is one of the main international airports in the country, which is focused on serving flights from Europe, Africa, Russia and many other countries. In particular, Tunisair airliners land here from Russian cities. Tunis-Carthage is equipped with the latest technology and can offer passengers many additional services, for example, there is the opportunity to visit restaurants and a store with a large selection of souvenirs.
Enfidha-Hammamet
Enfidha Airport in Tunisia is quite young, as it began operating in 2011. It is focused on air travel to Africa and can serve Jumbo Jet and Airbus aircraft. The airstrip receives most charter flights from Russia. Enfidha Airport on the map of Tunisia A located a few kilometers from Hammamet and Sousse. It is more convenient in location than others, has a developed infrastructure, a large duty-free store and is comfortable for a long wait for departure.
Monastir named after Habib Bourguiba
The airport, named after the first president of Tunisia, can bear the well-deserved title of "pensioner". The building is small and requires major renovation. The conditions for passengers here are quite primitive, for example, the absence of a boarding bridge.
Despite the shortcomings, this option is very convenient for those who vacation in Sousse, Mahidia (the resort and the airport are separated by about 50 km) and Monastir. The lack of technical amenities for passengers is replaced by amazingly beautiful artificial lakes, which are located in close proximity to the airport terminal building. In addition, pink flamingos and egrets can often be seen in the area, which can also be observed. It receives, in most cases, Russian charter flights and a few regular Arab, French and German flights.
Djerba
If we look at all Tunisian airports on the map, then Djerba-Zarzis is the southernmost. Its name comes from two nearby resorts - the island of Djerba and the small resort town of Zarzis. Air connections with Russia are not particularly smooth here due to the insignificant flow of tourists. At the height of the season, approximately 3 planes per month arrive in Djerba from St. Petersburg Pulkovo. At other times of the year, tourists are forced to take a tedious transfer to Monastir and Enfidha.
The main flights that load the airport come from Europe - France, Germany, England. Tourists from these countries make up the main contingent of vacationers on the island of Djerba. The amenities are quite modest and exist primarily to keep Djerba airport in Tunisia operational.
Local significance
There are 6 regional airports in Tunisia, serving domestic flights and working with a subsidiary of the major carrier Tunisair, Sevenair.
The small Ksar Airport, located in the city of Gafsa, serves only a few domestic flights. The nature of the work is exactly the same for another similar one - Matmata, which is located near the city of Gabes. Tourists from Tunisia arriving in the city of Ain Drahamai and other nearby settlements fly into a small airport called Tabarka. The same airport serves flights from neighboring countries Morocco, Algeria and Libya, and some regional flights from France.
The island of Djerba is the sunny and largest island in Tunisia, washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The high holiday season in Djerba is quite long, lasting on average 8 months, from April to November. It is for the warm sea, gentle sun, snow-white beaches and, of course, thalassotherapy that hundreds of tourists flock to the island every year.
There are only three ways to get to the island: by water, by land - the Roman causeway connecting the island with the Tunisian mainland, which is quite tedious, and by air. It is the third way to get to the island of Djerba that we will talk about in this article. Probably everyone knows how to get there; we buy a plane ticket and fly. In this article we will dwell in more detail on the airport of the island of Djerba.
There is only one airport on the island of Djreba, which is called Djerba Zarzis Airport, also known as Melita airport. This airport is quite large, although it has only one runway. The airport accepts both domestic and international scheduled flights, including charters. So, if you are planning to relax in Djerba, you will certainly fly to this airport.
Djerba Airport has been operating since 1970 and was created to increase the tourist attractiveness of the island. Currently, this goal is being successfully implemented and continues to gain momentum. In 2016, charters from Russia flew to Djerba, so the flow of tourists to the island increased significantly. Until 2016, the island was mainly visited by Germans, French and British people.
Djerba Zarzis Airport is located 9 kilometers from the center of the island's capital, . By the way, many of the main attractions of the island are concentrated in this city; we will tell you in detail about the city and all the attractions of Djerba in one of the following articles.
The external architecture of the airport is made in the characteristic Arabic style of Tunisia, a white structure. Against the backdrop of lush green vegetation, after the gray cityscapes of the “homeland”, it all looks quite impressive and the mood immediately lifts.
The infrastructure of Djerba Zarzis Airport includes several cafes, a duty-free shop, a souvenir shop, a post office, currency exchange offices, ATMs and a tourist office (information assistance to tourists). For passengers with children there is a mother and child room and a play area. As well as toilets and smoking areas located on the first and second floors. There is also a smoking area on the second floor in the departure lounge.
Now we’ll tell you a little about how the arrival and departure procedures at the airport take place and how to get from the airport to any part of the island .
Arrival at Djerba Zarzis airport, control procedure and departure from the airport
The main flow of tourists arriving from Russia comes to the island, of course, on tour packages (charters), but recently the flow of those who decided to visit the island on their own, without resorting to the services of travel agencies, has been growing. At the moment, visa-free stay in Tunisia is limited to 90 days, i.e. No visa is required for up to 90 days and no fees are charged. If you arrive in Tunisia by plane from Russia.
Having arrived on the island and going to the airport, we find ourselves in the arrivals hall, where we go through border control. To pass control, you must fill out a migration card. Cards and pens for filling out are located here on the racks and are freely available. We advise you to bring your own pen, there are not enough pens for everyone and you will have to wait for one that becomes available. We also advise you not to check in your luggage with a voucher or hotel reservation that indicates which hotel you will be staying in, since the name of the hotel and the dates of your stay on the island must be written down on your migration card.
The card is filled out in printed Latin letters, according to the data of the international passport and voucher (hotel reservation).
Questionnaire card
Arrival hall and border control
Having filled out two parts of the card, we get in line to go through security. At the control everything goes quickly, you provide your card and passport, the border guards tear off one part of the card and put a stamp with the date of arrival in your passport. The second, lower small part of the card is returned to your hands. We recommend keeping this receipt until the end of your trip; it will be taken from you upon departure. If you lose it, it’s okay, you’ll simply be turned away from control and will have to fill out the form again. To avoid inconvenience, it is better to save this spine.
After passing through security, we go out to the Duty Free lounge, then collect our luggage and exit to the “main” hall of the airport. Those arriving on charter flights or on vouchers are met by representatives of tour operators, and they will indicate which bus to board.
Here you can also see currency exchange windows. The currency in Tunisia is the Tunisian Dinar (TND, TD). 1 Dinar = 1000 Millims, so after the decimal point/dot we see three-digit numbers. American dollars, euros and other currencies are accepted for exchange, but not rubles; there is nothing to do with rubles in Tunisia; you are unlikely to be able to exchange them. In our experience, the exchange rate at the airport is slightly more favorable than in hotels on the island.
At the exit from the airport there are buses that take tourists to hotels.
For those who arrived on their own, there is a stop right at the entrance and taxis stand. All taxis are yellow, it’s impossible to go wrong. Taxis on the island are cheap, metered, so for convenience and safety we recommend using them. The cost of a taxi depends, naturally, on the distance, on average 3-10 dinars. Although the Russian language is already being taught on the island, it is still understood quite poorly, and even then not by everyone. Taxi drivers know the island and hotels very well; to get there, you just need to show or say the name of the hotel, attractions or city you want to go to.
You can order a taxi/transfer on the website in advance. At any time of the day, at the airport, a driver will be waiting for you with a sign with your name and surname written on it. To order a taxi, just provide your flight details.
That's all, we are on the island of Djerba and are moving on vacation!
A few words about departure from the island
Arriving at the airport, by transfer with a group or on your own, it doesn’t matter, you and I will find ourselves at the entrance to the airport, where we will say goodbye to the representative of our tour operator. If you encounter any difficulties at the airport, feel free to contact the airport staff, most of whom understand and speak Russian quite well.
When entering the airport we go through a security check
If you still have currency (dinars), then exchange them back for dollars, euros, etc. only possible at the airport and with a receipt. So, we advise you to exchange currency on the island in small amounts, and do not forget to take a receipt; without a receipt, it is impossible to exchange dinars.
On the Internet you can find information that dinars cannot be exported in any quantity. This is not true, if you want to take out a small amount as a souvenir or for a collection for friends, then this is not forbidden. A strict export ban applies only to flora and fauna. That's it, that's it, but it won't be possible to take it out. So, if you see palm trees, turtles and other delights being sold on the island, and you really want to buy it, we don’t recommend doing this; you’ll have to leave everything at the airport upon departure.
We entered the airport, then move left to the check-in counters. Check-in for international flights starts on average 3 hours in advance and ends in 50 minutes. Baggage allowances vary by air carrier. We flew with Nordwind Airlines, their baggage allowance is 20 kg. per person when checked into the luggage compartment and 32 kg if one bag is shared by two. To register, you must present a ticket and an international passport; if you have an electronic ticket, then only an international passport.
After registration, we go to the second floor via the escalator. There is only one escalator, it is impossible to make a mistake.
On the second floor we go through border control, where we present our passport and a form with a form, remember the one you and I filled out upon arrival. Next, we receive a stamp with the date of departure in the passport.
Tunisia annually attracts more and more tourists from different parts of the world. The country is famous for its mild climate, snow-white beaches, historical monuments, and mud beauty treatments. The largest island of Tunisia and North Africa is Djerba. Its guests are greeted by Zarzis International Airport.
The busiest period for the airport is from April to November. At this time, a large number of tourists come to the island. Zarzis Airport is located in the north-west of the island near the town of Melita and 9 kilometers from the large city of Houmt Souk, which is considered the capital of Djerba.
The port accepts domestic, international and cargo flights. It is the only one on the island and is quite heavily loaded. Postal address: 4120, Djerba, Tunisia.
At one time, the airport was opened to attract tourist flow. Today it serves up to 4 million passengers a year. Accepts regular and charter flights. The airport building is made in Arabic style.
Online scoreboard
How to get to/from Djerba airport
As a rule, package tourists fly to the island of Djerba. They are transported to hotels and vacation spots by buses, accompanied by guides. Having arrived in Tunisia on your own, having organized the trip on your own, you can use the following types of transport:
- by bus;
- Taxi;
- transfer;
- rented car.
Only local residents use the bus on the island; they rarely run, and the low cost of taxis makes this type of transport unpopular.
All Djerba taxis are painted yellow. Give preference to cars equipped with a meter, it is safe and inexpensive. The cost of one trip will be 10-15 dinars, the price directly depends on the distance of the trip. Taxi drivers do not understand Russian well, but if you tell them the name of the hotel or show them on the map the place where you need to go, they will easily find their way and take you exactly to your destination.
Before the start of the trip, you can order for a specific time. The driver will be waiting for such a traveler with a sign in the arrivals hall. In addition, you will know the cost of the trip in advance.
You can also rent a car at the airport building by presenting your passport, international driving license and paying the specified amount. At the end of the trip, you can return the car here. By the way, if you don’t want to spend a long time choosing a car, you can place your order in advance, at home.
Djerba airport terminals: Tunisia airport diagram
Tunisia Zarzis Airport is one passenger terminal, which provides a full range of services for guests of the island.
Also, the airport has only one runway, despite the fact that the airport’s congestion increases every year. The cargo terminal is not accessible to passengers.
Additional services
Djerba Airport is a modern airport. The terminal itself has a large area for the convenience of passengers.
A huge range of additional services will allow you to spend time here in comfort.
All those arriving with personal or rented vehicles can use modern parking. The total parking capacity is 650 cars. This is enough in modern realities. You can rent a car in the airport hall or return it here.
Inside the airport there are:
- currency exchange offices (euro, dollars, Norwegian krone, Japanese yen and some other currencies are accepted);
- postal service office (you can send a postcard, parcel, letter);
- information desk for tourists (here you can ask any pressing questions, buy an excursion, order a transfer).
Important information: the currency of Tunisia is the dinar, it consists of a thousand millimes, so when you see not two digits after the decimal point, but three, you should not be surprised. These are the characteristics of the country. Sometimes the rate at Djerba airport is much better than in the tourist areas of the island.
Djerba is a sparsely populated and deserted island in southern Tunisia, made famous by tourism. This is where the development of modern infrastructure began here, including the local airport. The section of the African coast adjacent to the island is called Zarzis, and many hotels are built along it. The airport on Djerba, Djerba-Zarzis, opened in 1970, and accepted the first Russian charters in 2016. Another name for the airport in Djerba is “Melita”.
After the airfield became the property of civil aviation, the terminal was able to acquire a qualitatively new look. In 1992 and 2006, it was radically rebuilt twice and received the strategic task of increasing the tourist flow to Southern Tunisia.
Today it is an important transport hub connecting European countries and the capital of Tunisia to a region where the main activity of visitors is lazing on the beach under an umbrella. This is how the problem of quickly delivering tourists to Djerba was solved, because by bus the same distance can be covered in many hours. The airport on the island of Djerba in Tunisia is comfortable and distinguished by the attentive attitude of its staff towards passengers.
general information
ICAO code: DTTJ
IATA code: DJE
Runway length: 3095 m
Runway width: 45 m
Area: 295 hectares
Capacity: 4 million people per year
Address: Djerba Airport, Tunisia, 4120 Djerba
Tel.: (+216) 75 65 02 33
Tel. for inquiries: (+216) 75 65 02 33
Online scoreboard
The online board provides information to interested parties about the arrival and departure times of aircraft, and flight numbers: http://aviacheap.ru/aeroport-dzherba-zarzis/. Here you can see information about airlines providing air transportation services to the island of Djerba in Tunisia, find out about planned flight delays, and also see the flight schedule for the next day.
Internal view of the terminal
How to get to the airport on the island of Djerba
The air harbor is located in the northwestern part of Djerba. In addition to accepting charters from Europe and Russia, it participates in domestic transportation from the cities of Tunis, Monastir and Hammamet.
Direct flights to the island of Djerba in Tunisia from Russia are carried out from April to November, that is, during the tourist season. At other times, you can arrive in Djerba through the airports of other cities in Tunisia. The visa is issued here after arrival.
After completing the necessary formalities, package tourists are waiting at the exit of the building by buses, with which tour operators take them to their hotels. But lately, more independent travelers and individuals have been arriving at the airport on the island of Djerba in Tunisia.
The conditional capital of Djerba is the city of Houmt Souk, 9 km away from the airfield. In this area, Tunisian towns and villages are located far from each other, and there are no large cities at all.
The primary task that visitors face is finding transport. On the island it is represented by the following species:
- transfer;
- Taxi;
- bus;
- rented car.
Transfer
Drivers holding a sign are waiting for visitors who have ordered a transfer in the arrivals hall. However, the plane may be late, and then the meeting is canceled. This happens sometimes. The good side of such a trip is that the driver knows Russian, at least at a basic level. The island's taxi drivers practically do not speak Russian; you have to communicate with them using a map and sign language. Maps of Djerba are sold at the airport; drivers have excellent knowledge of the area.
Taxi
The cheapest and safest way to travel in this country is by taxi. They are all state-owned and carry passengers according to the meter, the cars are painted yellow. The tariff is 10–15 dinars.
Approximate time and distance to major settlements:
- Tunis city - 7 hours, 530 km;
- Hammamet - 6 hours, 370 km;
- Sousse - 5 hours, 400 km;
- Mahdia - 5 hours, 380 km;
- Sfax - 4 hours, 280 km.
All roads from the airport on the island of Djerba in Tunisia to the country's megacities pass through the El Jorf ferry crossing in the southwest.
Bus
Tourists practically do not use public buses in Zarzis. Their routes lie away from attractions and hotels, so this type of transport is relevant only for local residents.
Car rent
There is a branch of a car rental company at the airport of the island of Djerba in Tunisia. Rental rules are standard, the car is returned to the same place from where it was taken. Employees require a minimum of documents, but you must leave a deposit. Some tourists use the service of ordering a car in advance.
It is noticeable on the map that Djerba is a small island and it is possible to travel around it entirely in one day. Midoun town is 25 km and a 55-minute drive. The bridge, or rather the causeway to the mainland of Zarzis, is located in the southeast at a distance of 34 km. It can be reached in half an hour.
Parking
Inexpensive parking is available for parking rented and personal cars near the airport terminal in Djerba. Its capacity reaches 650 cars.
The waiting area
Airport map
The layout of the island's airport terminal is very simple. There is only one two-story passenger terminal and one runway. There is also a cargo terminal. Despite the growing flow of foreigners, in particular from Moscow, the terminal is still coping with the load. The employees more or less speak Russian and try to avoid queues when going through security checks for visitors to the airport in Djerba in Tunisia.
Externally, the airport terminal on the island of Djerba in Tunisia is a white building surrounded by greenery. This style of construction is characteristic of Arab countries.
Additional Information
Zarzis Airport is equipped with a number of infrastructural innovations, which include:
- duty free shops;
- souvenir shop;
- ATM;
- game Zone;
- currency exchange point;
- post office;
- restaurants;
- the waiting area;
- cafe.
There is also a tourist office where arriving guests can receive information support. Here you can buy transfers and book excursions. The building is located on a small area. Both floors are equipped with smoking rooms.
Passport control area
In case of flight delay, visitors can leave their belongings in a storage room. The baggage packing machine is working. These precautions will help prevent bags and suitcases from being stolen or lost.
A room has been opened where parents can relax and keep their children occupied while waiting for their flight. Here you can change clothes and feed your baby. If there is a long wait, the child is sent to the playroom.
You can send a parcel, postcard or letter home from the post office. Any specimens of flora and fauna are prohibited from being exported from Tunisia.
The second floor of the building is occupied by control services and duty-free shops, everything else is located on the first floor. There is no hotel in the transit zone. It is possible that it will be opened in a new terminal, which has not yet been built.
The exchange office does not accept rubles, so you should arrive at Djerba airport with dollars or euros. One Tunisian dinar is not 100 local kopecks, but 1000, this is a feature of the local currency. These kopecks are called millimes. The exchange rate is more favorable than in hotels.
Important: reverse exchange for dollars is possible only here, at the airport of the island of Djerba in Tunisia. To do this, you must present a receipt from the exchange office. Exporting a small amount of dinars as a souvenir is not prohibited.
Wi-Fi is not available in the airport building. At the same time, here you can purchase a SIM card from one of the local operators and activate the cheap mobile Internet service. For a reasonable fee, calls are made to numbers of Russian operators.
note! Such a call will cost much less than calling from a hotel or from a street telephone.
In general, the airport on the island of Djerba in Tunisia is quite modern and beautiful, although in high season it becomes noticeable that the building is a bit cramped for all arrivals. Despite this fact, modern infrastructure and a wide range of additional services allow you to wait for the plane with great comfort. There are enough free seats in the waiting area for all passengers, and signs and signs are posted in the building. The seats are comfortable and allow you to relax comfortably.
First floor
Airlines
Many airlines fly to Djerba Airport in Tunisia, since the island has long been known among Europeans as a place for a good beach holiday. The following carriers have routes from Europe:
- Italy Airlines;
- Alitalia;
- Chechz Airlines;
- Croatia Airlines;
- Austrian Airlines;
- Swiss International Airlines;
- Jetairfly;
- Air France;
- Air Berlin;
- TNT Airways;
- Thomas Cook UK etc.
Before Tunisia became famous among Russians, there were no direct flights to the island. Today, tourists can travel from Russian territory using aircraft from the following companies:
- Nordwind Airlines;
- "Russia";
- Pegasus Fly;
- Azur Air;
- Red Wings Airlines;
- Royal Flight.
Tunisian airlines include:
- Tunisair;
- Tunisavia;
- Seven Air;
- Nouvelair;
- Karthago.
For the last two companies, the airport of the island of Djerba in Tunisia is the base. Flights are also operated by carriers from the UAE and Turkey. Planes of the Belarusian company Belair also fly to Djerba-Zarzis airport.
Djerba-Zarzis in Tunisia is a typical example of a low-capacity charter airport. Terminals similar to it are located in tourist centers of many countries. Without tourists and financial income from tourism, it would remain an air force base of a third world country with the infrastructure of the last century. Today the terminal has acquired a respectable appearance and has become an important destination for seasonal flights.
On the island of Djerba, nine kilometers from the city of Khumk Souk, the Djerba-Zazris International Airport is located. It serves both international flights and domestic flights. The strategic importance of the airport lies in serving the southern region of Tunisia.
Historical background and description of the airport
Djerba Airport began its work back in 1970 (it was created with the aim of increasing the tourist attractiveness of the island). Initially, its annual capacity was up to 500 thousand passengers; in 1992, after reconstruction, this figure increased to 1.5 million people, and since 2005 it has reached 4 million passengers.
The IATA (International Air Transport Association) code assigned to Djerba-Zazris airport is DJE, the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) code is DTTJ.
Djerba-Zazris Airport accepts scheduled and charter flights. In addition, in the summer, the daily number of flights between Tunisia and Djerba increases noticeably. This is due to the fact that getting from the capital of Tunisia to the island by ground transport is quite exhausting and long, but the flight, taking into account takeoff and landing, will take no more than an hour and a half.
The territory occupied by Djerba-Zazris airport is about 295 hectares. The airport itself has two terminals with an area of 73,000 and 57,000 square meters. The last of which was opened in December 2007. There is a parking lot with 650 spaces near the airport.
Airlines from countries such as Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland, the Netherlands and, of course, Tunisia are served by Djerba-Zazris Airport. Among the airlines themselves using the services of Jereba airport are Austrian Air Lines, TNT Airways, Croatia Airlines, Ficher Air, Sterling A.S, Aigle Azur, BelAir, Air Berlin, Thomas Cook UK, Eurofly Compagny, Luxair, Adria Airways, Belair and many other. Like the vast majority of Tunisia's "airports", Djerba-Zazris Airport in Djerba reports directly to the country's Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airports.
Airport services
When checking in at Djerba airport, you must present your passport and boarding pass, but if the passenger has purchased an electronic ticket, then only your passport will be needed. Check-in itself begins two and a half hours before departure for international flights, and two hours before departure for domestic flights. And this procedure is completed forty minutes before departure (in both cases).
For passengers awaiting their flight or just arriving in Djerba, a certain number of services are offered in the air terminal building. So, there is a tourist assistance desk, a post office, a VIP room, and Duty-free shops. If you need to carry out certain banking transactions, fortunately, you will not have to leave the territory occupied by Djerba-Zazris airport, since there are banks, currency exchange offices, and also access to ATMs.
You can refresh yourself and just have a good time while waiting for your flight in cafeterias, restaurants or bars. There are also newspaper and tobacco kiosks and a souvenir shop. And those who have just arrived in Djerba can rent a car to continue their journey. In addition, there is a medical aid station and assistance service for passengers involved in an aircraft accident.
