Flights were grounded at Lyon-Saint-Exupery international airport after the car hurtled across the runway zone before coming to a halt on rough ground next to the tarmac.
The man tried to escape on foot but was tackled by officers and arrested.
The drama began to unfold as more than a dozen police cars and a helicopter chased the fugitive up the wrong side of a motorway before he broke through security barriers at the busy airport.
The government prefect’s office said: “Pursued by police, he smashed through Terminal 1 before reaching the runway area.”
Witness Davd Peste captured the extraordinary scenes on video.
He said: “An individual drove his car onto the runways at Lyon airport!
“He was having a race with the police!”
The motive of the driver, whose identity has not yet been made public, was not clear.
Police said no one was injured.
Flights were temporarily grounded.