Airports in Spain

Spain is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, attracting millions of visitors each year who come to sample a land rich in history and culture.

With hundreds of kilometres of beautiful beaches and some of the best summer weather you will find anywhere on the planet, it’s no wonder that the Costa Brava, Costa Blanca and the Costa del Sol are considered as being Europe’s summer playground.

Whether you are visiting to see the marvellous museums in Madrid or the gorgeous Gaudi creations in Barcelona or just to spend time with the family on the beach we have put together a list of Spanish airports to help you decide which one is the most convenient for your chosen destination.

Madrid-Barajas Airport – IATA code MAD
Also known as Adolfo Suárez Airport, Madrid-Barajas is Spain’s major international airport serving the capital city of Madrid. By size,
Madrid-Barajas is the largest airport in Europe and the 6th busiest in passenger traffic. Located just 13 kilometres from downtown, the airport has a dedicated metro station that makes it easy to travel from the airport to anywhere in the city. If you look at Spain on a map, Madrid is situated bang in the centre of the country. Using Madrid like the hub of a wheel the Spanish government has built an extensive high-speed rail network that connects the capital with every major population centre. From Madrid airport, passengers can also connect with domestic flights to all regions of Spain including the Balearic and Canary Islands.

Barcelona Airport – IATA code BCN
Barcelona-El Prat Airport is Spain’s second largest airport after Madrid and Catalonia’s main airport. Located in the municipalities of El Prat de Llobregat, Viladecans, and Sant Boi, Barcelona airport is 12 kilometres southwest of the city centre.
Just like Madrid, Barcelona is a major airport for non-European originating flights and the place many tourists fly into before embarking on a Mediterranean cruise. Barcelona also has domestic flights to all regions in Spain.

Palma de Mallorca Airport – IATA code PMI
Located just 8 kilometres east of the capital Palma, Palma de Mallorca Airport welcomes millions of tourists each year who come to take advantage of Mallorca’s beautiful beaches, honey coloured mountain villages and cutting edge Spanish cuisine.
During the summer Son Sant Joan Airport as the airport is also known becomes the busiest airport in Europe welcoming millions of tourists in search of fun in the sun. Getting from Palma airport is easy with a regular bus service connecting all the towns and villages. Private Airport Transfers are an excellent choice when it comes from getting to and from Palma airport with several companies offering a service that often works out less than taking a taxi.

Malaga Airport – IATA code AGP
Known as the gateway to the Costa del Sol, Spain’s most popular holiday destination Malaga airport is the 4th busiest in Spain after Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca.
Located just 8 kilometres southwest of Malaga city centre, the airport has a train station that connects to all the major resorts in the area. If you are travelling further afield, buses from the airport will take you to the Estación de Autobuses de Málaga from where you can catch a bus to towns that are not on the train line.

Alicante Airport – IATA code ALC
Just like Malaga airport, Alicante-Elche Airport, originally known as El Altet is where tourist fly into before heading off to Benidorm and other resort towns along the Costa Blanca. Alicante airport is located 9 kilometres southwest of the city centre and has a dedicated bus service the runs 24/7 connecting the airport with Alicante’s bus and rail stations.

Gran Canaria Airport – IATA code LPA
Often referred to as Gando Airport, Gran Canaria Airport is the busiest airport in the Canary Islands and the sixth busiest in Spain.
The airport is located 19 kilometres south of the island’s capital Las Palmas and is 25 kilometres away from the popular beach resorts of Playa del Inglés and Puerto de Mogán. From Gran Canaria airport you can catch a flight to other islands in the Canaries archipelago.

Tenerife Airport – IATA code TFS
Handling 11 million passengers per year Tenerife airport or South-Reina Sofia is the largest of Tenerife’s two airports and the second busiest airport in the Canaries after Gran Canaria.

Ibiza Airport – IATA code IBZ
Known as Spain’s party island, Ibiza airport is 7 kilometres southwest of the capital Ibiza Town and also serves as the airport tourists fly into before catching a ferry to Formentera. The airport is extremely busy during the summer, but slows down to a crawl during the winter.

Lanzarote Airport – IATA code ACE
Also known as Arrecife airport after the island’s capital, Lanzarote airport is located 5 kilometres southwest of the capital and is a popular destination for northern Europeans looking for some winter sunshine.

Valencia Airport – IATA code VLC
Serving Spain’s third largest metropolis Valencia airport or Manises airport as it is locally known is primarily business travel orientated airport with links to nearly all of Europe’s capital cities. Located just 8 kilometres from the city centre, Valencia airport has its own metro station from where you can connect to all parts of the city including the beach.

Fuerteventura Airport – IATA code FUE
Also known as El Matorral airport, Fuerteventura airport serves the Canary Island of Fuerteventura and is located in El Matorral, 5 kilometres southwest of the capital city Puerto del Rosario.

Seville Airport – IATA code SVQ
Serving the Andalucían capital of the same name, Seville airport is again just like Valencia a regional airport rather than one that handles millions of tourists. Located just outside the city getting from the airport to downtown is easy using a dedicated airport-city bus that stops at all the major points in the city.

Bilbao Airport – IATA code BIO
Situated 9 kilometres north of Bilbao, the airport is the largest airport in the Basque Country and northern Spain and is famous for its new main terminal designed by Santiago Calatrava. Getting from the airport to the centre of Bilbao takes 20 minutes by public bus.

Girona–Costa Brava Airport –IATA code GRO
Used as a hub by low-cost airline Ryanair, Girona airport is an alternative airport for Barcelona despite it being located 74 kilometres northwest of the Catalan capital.
Serving the Pyrenees during the winter ski season and Lloret de Mar during the summer, Flying into Girona airport is often a cheaper alternative than Barcelona. From Girona airport, you have regular buses to both downtown Barcelona and El Prat airport.
In compiling this list we left out several airports such as Granada, Santiago de Compostela, Mahon, Oviedo, Murcia, Santander, Almeria, Reus Zaragoza Viga, A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela as their passenger numbers did not warrant being a part of this list.