Taxi Marseille → Marignane

Marignane, a town of 35,000 on the southern shore of the Étang de Berre, is inseparable from two major activities: commercial aviation and the aerospace industry. Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), France's second-largest regional airport with over 10 million passengers annually, occupies a vast area to the north of the town. It serves more than 100 destinations across Europe, North Africa and beyond, with airlines including Air France, Ryanair, easyJet, Transavia and Volotea. But Marignane is also the global birthplace of Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter), whose historic factory employs over 8,000 people and produces the world's best-selling civil and military helicopters. The industrial site covers 140 hectares between the airport and the lagoon. Beyond aerospace, Marignane retains an authentic Provençal town centre with the Saint-Nicolas church (17th century), the Château des Covet (18th century) converted into a cultural centre, and shaded alleyways. The shores of the Étang de Berre offer walks and birdwatching spots for migratory birds, including pink flamingos that colonise the saline banks. The Marseille-to-Rhône canal crosses the town, a remnant of 19th-century navigable infrastructure.