Flights to Réunion Island: airports, routes and entry rules

Getting to Réunion Island by air

Before you get anywhere near the road to Cilaos or the lagoon at Saint-Gilles, there’s a flight to plan, and a couple of assumptions worth checking first. Réunion is an island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and about 200 km southwest of Mauritius, and it’s reached almost exclusively by air. This page covers the two airports, the direct routes that actually exist, and the entry-requirement mix-ups that trip up first-time visitors specifically on the flight-booking stage. The onward drive from the airport into town is a separate question, answered in full in Roland-Garros airport to Saint-Gilles — this page focuses on getting to the island, not across it.

The two airports

Réunion has two civil airports, and they don’t serve the same purpose.

Airport	Code	Location	Typical use
Roland-Garros	RUN	Sainte-Marie, just east of Saint-Denis	Main gateway: long-haul from Paris, regional flights from Mauritius, Madagascar, Mayotte
Pierrefonds	ZSE	Near Saint-Pierre, on the south coast	Mostly domestic and regional connections

For almost every visitor arriving from mainland France or another European country, Roland-Garros is the airport you’ll land at. Pierrefonds occasionally comes into play for travellers already island-hopping in the region, or on some regional routings, but it isn’t a realistic first booking for a Paris-based itinerary. If your trip is built around the south of the island — Saint-Pierre, the wild south, Cilaos — it’s still worth checking whether your route lands you at RUN or ZSE, because the transfer time to your accommodation differs meaningfully between the two.

Direct routes: what actually exists

Three types of direct connection serve Roland-Garros, and it’s worth being precise about them rather than assuming frequency or price, both of which change with the season and the airline’s current network.

• Paris to Réunion: the long-haul link to mainland France, a flight of roughly eleven hours. This is the route most European visitors will use, whether flying with a French carrier or a competing airline that has added the route.
• Mauritius to Réunion: a short regional hop, around 40 minutes, connecting two islands that are geographically close but administratively separate — more on that distinction below.
• Madagascar to Réunion: a regional link used by travellers combining the two islands or connecting onward within the western Indian Ocean.
• Mayotte to Réunion: another French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean, connected to Réunion by regional flights, mostly used for onward or return legs rather than as a first arrival point for European travellers.

None of these routes come with a fixed frequency or price worth repeating here — schedules shift season to season and airline to airline. Check current timetables and fares directly with an airline or a flight-comparison site before you commit to dates, and build in enough of a connection window if you’re linking a European flight to a regional one, since regional carriers in this part of the Indian Ocean don’t always run daily.

How far ahead to book

There’s no single “right” booking window worth quoting as a rule, since fares move with demand, season and the specific airline’s schedule. What’s worth planning around is the calendar, not the price: the austral summer (November to April) is also cyclone season, concentrated in January to March, and a booking made close to departure gives you less room to rearrange dates if a system is tracking toward the island. The austral winter (May to October) is drier, cooler at altitude, and the busier period for hikers and whale watchers, which is its own reason to fix dates early rather than late. If cost is the main constraint rather than timing, Réunion Island on a budget and what a week in Réunion actually costs lay out where flights sit relative to accommodation, car rental and activities in a typical trip.

Combining Réunion with Mauritius or Madagascar

Because the regional hops to Mauritius and Madagascar are short, some itineraries link Réunion with one or both as a single Indian Ocean trip rather than a standalone visit. That’s a reasonable way to use the roughly 40-minute connection to Mauritius, but it’s worth building the itinerary as two separate trips glued together, not one continuous stay: each island has its own entry rules, its own currency, and its own airport procedures, and a delay on one leg can ripple into the other if the connection window is tight.

If Mauritius specifically is part of the plan, the differences that matter for booking and budgeting — currency, entry requirements, and how the two islands actually compare as a destination — are covered in Réunion vs Mauritius. Madagascar and Mayotte connections tend to be used more for onward legs than for tourist stopovers, so there’s less to plan around beyond confirming the regional carrier’s current schedule.

The confusion this page exists to correct

Two mix-ups come up constantly at the flight-booking stage, and getting them wrong costs more than an afternoon of inconvenience.

A Schengen visa does not cover Réunion

Réunion is a French department and an EU region, but it sits outside the Schengen area. That means a Schengen visa issued for mainland France or another Schengen country does not automatically let you into Réunion. EU and EEA citizens can enter with a valid national identity card or passport, the same as for a trip to metropolitan France. Travellers of other nationalities need to check Réunion’s specific entry regime — which can differ from the Schengen rules they may already hold — on the official site, france-visas.gouv.fr, well before booking flights. This is worth confirming even if you already have a valid Schengen visa in hand; it is not a substitute here. The full breakdown of documents, validity periods and exceptions by nationality lives in entry requirements for Réunion Island.

Réunion is not Mauritius

The two islands sit about 200 km apart, are connected by a roughly 40-minute flight, and are sometimes combined in the same trip — which is exactly why the confusion happens. But they are two different countries. Réunion is a French overseas department, uses the euro, and follows French and EU entry rules (with the Schengen exception above). Mauritius is an independent state with its own currency, the Mauritian rupee, and its own separate entry requirements. If you’re booking flights, accommodation or a multi-island itinerary, keep the two straight: a booking confirmation for one island’s hotel or tour does nothing for the other, and you clear a distinct border for each. The full comparison is in Réunion vs Mauritius.

Choosing when to fly

Réunion runs on Southern Hemisphere seasons, the reverse of Europe’s calendar. The austral winter, May to October, is dry, cooler at altitude, and the best window for hiking and for whale watching. The austral summer, November to April, is hot and humid and is also cyclone season, with the highest risk concentrated in January to March. None of this changes which airport you fly into, but it does affect how flexible your flight and accommodation bookings should be — travel insurance and changeable fares are worth the extra cost for a summer booking. See when to visit Réunion Island and, if you’re travelling in the wetter months, Réunion’s cyclone season explained for what an alert actually means for a trip already booked.

Whatever season you pick, the flight search is where the calendar turns into real choices. Try a few departure dates either side of your preferred week in the austral winter, and compare the same dates with and without a changeable fare, since the gap between them is what you are really paying for. Check the baggage allowance before paying, especially if you are carrying hiking gear, and you can run those date comparisons on Aviasales for flights to Réunion.

After you land

Clearing the airport is only the first step; getting to your base is a separate logistical question, covered properly elsewhere so it isn’t repeated here.

• From Roland-Garros to the west coast (Saint-Gilles, the Hermitage, Saint-Leu): the transfer crosses Saint-Denis and the coastal road. Full driving times and transfer options are in Roland-Garros airport to Saint-Gilles.
• Car rental: close to essential for exploring beyond the coastal towns, since the cirques and the volcano road aren’t realistically reachable by public transport on a short trip. See renting a car in Réunion Island and driving in Réunion Island for what to expect on mountain roads.
• Without a car: the Car Jaune bus network links the coastal towns reasonably well but is slow into the Hauts. If you’re weighing whether to skip the rental altogether, Réunion Island by bus: the Car Jaune guide lays out what’s realistic.
• Money and connectivity: Réunion uses the euro, cards are widely accepted on the coast, and EU mobile roaming works as it does in mainland France. Details in money and payments in Réunion Island and phone and internet in Réunion Island.
• Where to base yourself: most visitors land at Roland-Garros and head straight to the west coast for the lagoon and easy access to Saint-Leu and the Maïdo. The full breakdown of areas is in where to stay in Réunion Island, and if you’re still shaping the trip itself, Réunion Island for first-time visitors and how many days in Réunion Island are the natural next reads, alongside a full one week in Réunion Island itinerary if seven days is roughly your window.
• What to pack: Réunion runs on 230V power with type E and F sockets, the same as mainland France, so travellers arriving from outside continental Europe will need an adapter. Layering matters more than most visitors expect — it can be warm and humid on the coast and cold enough for a jacket at altitude on the volcano or Piton des Neiges, especially in the austral winter. The full packing list, adjusted for season, is in what to pack for Réunion Island.
• Before you land: Réunion is generally a safe, low-hassle destination for tourists, but a few practical points — swimming precautions on certain West Coast beaches, mosquito-borne illness, and general safety habits — are worth a quick read before arrival rather than after. See is Réunion Island safe for tourists for the specifics.

Booking activities around your flight

Flights themselves go through an airline or a travel agent, not through a tour platform — nothing here changes that. But once your arrival and departure dates are fixed, it’s worth locking in anything seasonal or capacity-limited before you land, rather than trying to book it on arrival. A helicopter flight over the cirques gives a sense of the island’s geography that’s hard to get any other way, and the operators run a helicopter tour of the island departing from Saint-Gilles, with limited daily slots that fill up in high season.

For a lower-cost aerial view, there’s also a microlight flight over Réunion, weather-dependent like any small-aircraft activity, so keep a spare day if you can. If you’d rather get a structured first look at the whole island by road, an operator runs a guided tour covering the island in thirteen stops, useful for orientation in your first day or two. And if you’re travelling in the July-to-October window, humpback whales are regularly present offshore, with a snorkelling trip searching for dolphins and whales out of Saint-Gilles worth booking ahead rather than assuming a same-week slot — sightings are never guaranteed, and approach is governed by a code that keeps boats at a set distance.

Questions about flying to Réunion Island

The essentials, gathered in one place before you book.

Which airport should I fly into, Roland-Garros or Pierrefonds?

Roland-Garros (RUN), near Sainte-Marie just outside Saint-Denis, is the main international gateway and the one served by the Paris route and the regional links from Mauritius, Madagascar and Mayotte. Pierrefonds (ZSE), near Saint-Pierre, is mostly domestic and regional and rarely the airport a first-time visitor from Europe will land at.

How long is the flight from Paris to Réunion Island?

Around eleven hours direct. Exact timing varies with routing and winds, and schedules change by season, so confirm current flight times with your airline before booking.

Do I need a Schengen visa to visit Réunion Island?

No — Réunion is French and in the EU but outside the Schengen area, so a Schengen visa does not cover entry on its own. EU and EEA citizens travel with a valid identity card or passport; other nationalities should check the island-specific rules on france-visas.gouv.fr.

Is Réunion Island the same as Mauritius?

No. They’re separate countries about 200 km apart, roughly a 40-minute flight from each other. Réunion is a French department using the euro; Mauritius is independent with its own currency and border rules.

Can I fly directly to Réunion from Mauritius, Madagascar or Mayotte?

Yes, all three connect directly to Roland-Garros, alongside the Paris route. Treat any of them as a border crossing between separate territories rather than a domestic transfer.

Is there a direct flight from Réunion to other European cities besides Paris?

Paris is the established direct link to mainland Europe; other European connections generally route through a hub. Airline networks shift, so check current options with an airline or search engine rather than an older itinerary.

How do I get from Roland-Garros to Saint-Gilles-les-Bains?

It’s a drive across Saint-Denis and along the coastal road; realistic transfer times and transport options are covered in Roland-Garros airport to Saint-Gilles.

Should I book island tours before I land?

For anything weather-dependent or capacity-limited — a helicopter flight, a whale-watching cruise in season — yes, book ahead. Flights go through an airline; activities are best locked in through GetYourGuide or Viator once your travel dates are confirmed.