A Coruña Airport
Encyclopedia
A Coruña Airport , formerly known as Alvedro Airport, is the airport
serving the Galician city of A Coruña
in northwestern Spain. The airport is located in the municipality of Culleredo
, approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the city center. It is a part of the network of airports managed by Aena
, a Spanish state-owned company responsible for airport management and air traffic control
. In 2010, 1,101,208 passengers used the airport.
ordered the urgent construction of an airport to serve the city of A Coruña
. This was the first airport to serve the area, as orthographic and meteorological conditions in the region made construction difficult. At the time, the only air service to the province of Galicia was through the Lavacolla Airport
in Santiago de Compostela
, which opened in 1935.
The first airport was built on the Alvedro meseta
in the municipality of Culleredo
. The original air field was very sparse; subsequent projects included the construction of parking facilities and a terminal.
In 1961, radio, and electric monitoring facilities were constructed. In 1962, a terminal building was constructed, and landing lights and other signals were installed on the runway. At the same time, the legislature of A Coruña ordered the construction of a road to connect the airport with the cities of A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela. In 1963, a services building was added to the airport.
The construction was completed in May 1963, when the airport was opened to national commercial traffic. The inauguration of the airport took place on 25 May 1963, when the first commercial airliner arrived from Madrid
. This first flight was operated by the Spanish Aviaco
airline.
During 1964, Aviaco operated a Vigo
-A Coruña
-Santander
-San Sebastián
-Barcelona
line served by Convair 440s. The routing proved to be spectacularly unpopular and unprofitable, and was discontinued after a year of service. A brief attempt in 1971 to run an identical routing was equally unsuccessful. By the end of the 1960s, the airport had begun receiving charter flights from Switzerland and London, England.
On 13 August 1973, Aviaco Flight 118
crashed in the nearby town of Montrove while attempting to land in A Coruña. All eighty five people on board perished, as well as one person on the ground.
A customs office was opened in 1979, and an air traffic control room was added in 1990. A number of improvements were made during the 1980s, including an increase of runway gradation of 1 degree 12 minutes and the installation of an Instrument Landing System
(ILS).
By 1994, yearly passenger numbers had surpassed 259,000. Further expansion of the airport and its facilities, including a new terminal building, as well as the urbanization of the surrounding area has prompted continuous growth and the increasing popularity of the airport. In 2001, the airport installed jet bridges and a cargo terminal. Currently the airport has a single runway (03/21), 1940 metres (6,364.8 ft) long, and is capable of supporting up to 12 take offs and landings per hour.
Current and future projects include the expansion of parking facilities, an upgrade of the ILS system from Category II to Category III, a short runway expansion, and expanded aircraft parking facilities.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
serving the Galician city of A Coruña
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
in northwestern Spain. The airport is located in the municipality of Culleredo
Culleredo
Culleredo is a municipality of Spain in the Province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia.Culleredo is placed in the outskirts of A Coruña and its population in mainly formed of commuters....
, approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the city center. It is a part of the network of airports managed by Aena
Aena
Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea , literally "Spanish Airports and Air Navigation", is the Spanish public body that owns and operates the majority of airports in Spain, with the exceptions of the private owned Ciudad Reals and Lleida-Alguaire Airport. Aena is also responsible for Air...
, a Spanish state-owned company responsible for airport management and air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
. In 2010, 1,101,208 passengers used the airport.
History and development
On 11 September 1953, the Council of Ministers of SpainCouncil of Ministers of Spain
The Cabinet of Spain is a collegiate body composed of the President of the Government , Vice Presidents when existing and the Ministers, and any other member required by law, and in some cases Secretaries of State...
ordered the urgent construction of an airport to serve the city of A Coruña
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
. This was the first airport to serve the area, as orthographic and meteorological conditions in the region made construction difficult. At the time, the only air service to the province of Galicia was through the Lavacolla Airport
Santiago de Compostela Airport
Santiago de Compostela Airport - Lavacolla is one of the three international airports in Galicia, Spain. It is located in Lavacolla, a town in the outskirts of Galicia's capital city, Santiago de Compostela. In 2010, 2,172,869 passengers passed through it....
in Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
, which opened in 1935.
The first airport was built on the Alvedro meseta
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
in the municipality of Culleredo
Culleredo
Culleredo is a municipality of Spain in the Province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia.Culleredo is placed in the outskirts of A Coruña and its population in mainly formed of commuters....
. The original air field was very sparse; subsequent projects included the construction of parking facilities and a terminal.
In 1961, radio, and electric monitoring facilities were constructed. In 1962, a terminal building was constructed, and landing lights and other signals were installed on the runway. At the same time, the legislature of A Coruña ordered the construction of a road to connect the airport with the cities of A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela. In 1963, a services building was added to the airport.
The construction was completed in May 1963, when the airport was opened to national commercial traffic. The inauguration of the airport took place on 25 May 1963, when the first commercial airliner arrived from Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. This first flight was operated by the Spanish Aviaco
Aviaco
Aviación y Comercio, S.A., was a Spanish airline incorporated on February 18, 1948. It was founded when the National Institute of Industry proposed that the national carrier of Spain, Iberia, could not meet the domestic demand. This had been caused by the heavy commitment of Iberia to the lucrative...
airline.
During 1964, Aviaco operated a Vigo
Vigo
Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...
-A Coruña
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
-Santander
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
-San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
-Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
line served by Convair 440s. The routing proved to be spectacularly unpopular and unprofitable, and was discontinued after a year of service. A brief attempt in 1971 to run an identical routing was equally unsuccessful. By the end of the 1960s, the airport had begun receiving charter flights from Switzerland and London, England.
On 13 August 1973, Aviaco Flight 118
Aviaco Flight 118
Aviaco Flight 118 was a Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle operated by Aviaco airlines that crashed in the village of Montrove, Spain on 13 August 1973, while attempting to land at Alvedro Airport in heavy fog. The aircraft crashed into an abandoned farmhouse approximately from the airport. All 85...
crashed in the nearby town of Montrove while attempting to land in A Coruña. All eighty five people on board perished, as well as one person on the ground.
A customs office was opened in 1979, and an air traffic control room was added in 1990. A number of improvements were made during the 1980s, including an increase of runway gradation of 1 degree 12 minutes and the installation of an Instrument Landing System
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
(ILS).
By 1994, yearly passenger numbers had surpassed 259,000. Further expansion of the airport and its facilities, including a new terminal building, as well as the urbanization of the surrounding area has prompted continuous growth and the increasing popularity of the airport. In 2001, the airport installed jet bridges and a cargo terminal. Currently the airport has a single runway (03/21), 1940 metres (6,364.8 ft) long, and is capable of supporting up to 12 take offs and landings per hour.
Current and future projects include the expansion of parking facilities, an upgrade of the ILS system from Category II to Category III, a short runway expansion, and expanded aircraft parking facilities.