Málaga Airport
Encyclopedia
Málaga Airport , also known as Malaga Costa Del Sol Airport and Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport, is the fourth busiest airport in Spain after Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca
. It is an important airport for Spanish tourism as it is the main international airport serving the Costa Del Sol
. It is 8 km (5 mi) southwest of Málaga
and 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Torremolinos
. The airport has flight connections to over 60 countries worldwide, and over 12 million passengers passed through it in 2010.
The airport operates with three terminals. The third terminal adjacent to the previous two opened on 15 March 2010. A second runway is expected to be complete and fully operational by the beginning of 2012.
Málaga Airport is the international airport of Andalucia accounting for 85 percent of its international traffic and is the only one offering a wide variety of international destinations. The airport, connected to the Costa Del Sol
, has a daily link with twenty cities in Spain and over one hundred cities in Europe. Direct flights also operate to Africa, the Middle East and also to North America in the summer season.
Málaga Airport opened on 9 March 1919. After test flights, the first scheduled air service from Málaga began on 1 September 1919 when Didier Daurat
began regular flights between Toulouse
, Barcelona
, Alicante
, Tangier
and Casablanca
.
In 1937, Málaga Airport became a military base. Training academies for the Air Force were set up, under the command of Republican Don Abelardo Moreno Miró.
On 12 July 1946, the airport was opened to international civil passenger flights, and was classified as a custom post.
The single runway was extended in the 1960s, and a new terminal was erected in the centre of the site. During this period of development, new navigational equipment was installed, including radar system at the end of the decade, in 1970.
The airport was given its current title in 1965. In 1968 a new passenger terminal was opened. In 1972 a second passenger terminal was opened to cater specifically for non-scheduled traffic. An increase in companies offering package holiday
s (around 30 by 1965) meant that this type of traffic was providing an increasing proportion of the airport's business. The terminal was very similar to the ones that were built in Palma de Mallorca
, Alicante
, Ibiza
and Girona.
In 1995, the old passenger building was converted into a general aviation terminal, and a new hangar for large aircraft maintenance was built to the north of the airport site. Also constructed was a terminal specifically catering for cargo traffic a year later, along with a hangar for maintenance of big aircraft.
In 1997 an enlargement of the parking of gates was built and fuel systems were added at all the gates.
The airport's domestic departures section once had the head office of Binter Mediterraneo
.
In November 2002 a new control tower was built with a height of 54m,.
In 2004 the "Málaga Plan" was started, including ideas for construction of a new terminal, and a new runway.
In November 2005 Monarch
opened a base at Málaga. It based an Airbus A320-200 there which operated scheduled services were added to Aberdeen
, Blackpool and Newquay
. However, due to their routes being unpopular, the base was closed in 2007.
In March 2007, Clickair
opened a base at Málaga after announcing a new route to Barcelona. The base has remained since the airline merged with Vueling.
On 26 February 2009, Ándalus Líneas Aéreas
started operations from Málaga, but then ceased opeartons in August 2010. This was the only airline that had their main base at Málaga.
On 16 December 2009, low cost carrier Ryanair
announced a base at this airport. This would be their 38th base with an additional 19 routes, bringing Ryanair's total routes from Málaga to 39. The base opened on 23 June 2010. An extra route to Barcelona was announced after the planned opening of their Barcelona base.
On 15 March 2010, the new Terminal 3 was completed. It was opened by King Juan Carlos of Spain, opening to public use the following day.
On 10 September 2010, the suburban train station at Málaga Airport was opened, providing access to catch a train to Málaga from Terminal 3.
In November 2011, Helitt Líneas Aéreas
opened their base at Málaga, operating flights to Melilla Airport
.
The terminal is due to be refurbished, and has received new check-in desks, along with a new baggage reclaim carousel. There are four gates, numbered B32, B34, B36 and B38, of which can also be accessed from Terminal 2. However they are rarely used.
The terminal 1 baggage hall was shown in the episode "The Return of the Seven: Part 1" in series 2 of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
.
, and was built to be operated in combination with the pre-existing passenger terminal. It has three floors and a basement, the second floor is for departures and the ground floor is for arrivals. The first floor is used for the lower level for Pier B, and for alleyways leading to arrivals. The basement is for the Rent-A-Car pickup desks. To complete the terminal, a building was built for car parking and Rent-A-Car, which were built right next to the entrance of the Departures and Arrivals lounges.
Pier B was used for flights to Mainland Europe and the rest of the world while Pier C was used for flights to the UK and Ireland, however some flights destined for the UK and Ireland occasionally used Pier B. The flights to mainland Europe did not apply to Blue Air
, as they left from Pier C. Pier B and Pier C are now in Terminal 3 (same building however).
Development work was completed on the Terminal in 2008. The original structure leading to Pier C in departures was demolished and relocated, to allow building work for Terminal 3. However, it has now closed and Pier C is now accessed from the new Terminal building.
Work in the terminal had to be done before the new terminal opened. Because terminal 1 was due to close, all of the gate numbers had to be changed. The only gate that kept its original gate number was B16. The last flight to use the original gate numbers, was an Aer Lingus
flight to London Gatwick
.
When the new terminal opened, Terminal 2 changed. The arrivals waiting area was closed to allow passengers to transfer themselves between terminals. This area now has three extra baggage carousels. Most of the alleyway was closed off and a new part was created, of which it now has a brand new passport control and a new set of escalators.
Terminal 2 has had renovation since the new terminal has opened. Although work has not finished, the arrivals floor of Terminal 2 was refurbished in early 2011. There is also currently works on the old shopping area which is currently closed off. The total cost for all of the refurbishment work is 2,567,700 euros.
The new terminal building at Málaga Airport has been designed by the architect Bruce S Fairbanks. The terminal was built to increase tourism around the Costa Del Sol, and to expand the airport due to increasing number of passengers. The cost of developing the new terminal is 410 million euros. It is adjacent to Terminal 2 and has an area of 250,000m², which is more than double the size of Terminal 2. It has 86 check in counters, numbered 301 to 386, 20 new boarding gates, twelve of which will have airbridges and 12 baggage reclaim carousels, nine European Union, two non-European Union and one special baggage reclaim carousel.
It has the largest food hall in Europe and the first National Geographic store in the world. The shops also include a Starbucks
, a Burger King
with a Whopper Bar in, a Pizza Hut
and an Adidas
shop. The terminal has more than doubled capacity to 30 million passengers or 9,000 an hour, is expected to double the number of flights and the 12,813,764 passengers handled during 2008, and this will increase more when the new runway is complete.
It consists of three piers or docks: Pier B (with 13 gates, 7 with airbridges), Pier C (with 10 gates, 7 with airbridges) and Pier D (with 20 gates, 12 with airbridges). Pier B is used for non-European traffic, Pier C is used by non-Schengen Traffic and Pier D is used for Schengen Traffic. Flights to the UK and Ireland use both Pier B and Pier C, of which these piers used to be in Terminal 2. When the new apron opens, a further 8 gates in Pier D will be opened.
Although flights from Terminal 1 were bound for non-Schengen destinations, along with flights to Ceuta and Mellia, some airlines such as Luxair
occasionally left from Terminal 1, using their Embraer
and Bombardier
. Usually the Small Embraer planes use Terminal 1 because the airbridges in Terminal 2 are too big for them. This used to operate in Terminal 2 and now operates in Terminal 3. They don't use Terminal 1 or 2 anymore, and now the aircraft depart from gates with a bus transfer, as the gates are still too big for the aircraft. This does not apply to Flybe
as it only applies to airlines that use Terminal 3
Video about the new terminal is at TVSpain.tv, and Aena.es.
motorway, and close by Runway 31. The terminal was formed from the old passenger terminal building, and has since been renewed and refurbished. It was opened on 29 January 1968.
The terminal is used for private jets and by Ryjet.
Airlines which use both Piers B and C usually use Pier C, although Monarch
use both piers.
The busiest routes are those within the EU, particularly to and from the United Kingdom and Ireland
. According to Aena
, the busiest route is to London Gatwick
closely followed by Dublin
and Manchester. Other busy routes are to London Stansted
, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam, Brussels
and Copenhagen
.
The airport is used by people visiting Gibraltar
, since more airlines cover this airport than Gibraltar Airport
. However Gibraltar Airport is also getting a major expansion.
–Málaga
). A new access is planned to be opened in November 2011.
, the Malaga Transport Company (EMTSAM) and the Portillo Avanza bus company, a new public information and bus ticket sale point is now in operation at Malaga – Costa del Sol Airport. Located near the exit from terminal T3 (Arrivals), it will enable tourists and local residents alike to obtain the Billete Único (Malaga Metropolitan Travel Card), which offers significant discounts on the inter-urban bus services managed by the Malaga Area Metropolitan Transport Consortium, and to purchase both the Bus Card used within the city of Malaga itself and tickets for direct Portillo Avanza bus connections from the airport to the Costa del Sol (Marbella, Estepona and, in the near future, Algeciras).
The new service will be open to the public from 8:30 to 20:00 without interruption.
Tourists arriving at the airport will now be able to take public transport from the airport to their final destinations and get around the city of Malaga and other locations on the Costa del Sol in convenient, practical and economical fashion without having to depend on private vehicles.
The following bus services operate from Málaga Airport:
commuter trains, connecting it with Málaga and providing this way better communications with the city center. The station opened on 10 September 2010. Málaga's new suburban train line has opened, providing access from the arrivals area of terminal 3. Trains run every 30 minutes between Málaga City and Fuengirola
via Málaga Airport.
The line is to be extended to Marbella, but this will not be complete until 2013 at the earliest. Works are stopped waiting for financial help from the European Investment Bank
. The line also may be extended to Algeciras, but this has yet to be confirmed.
EC-CGO McDonnell Douglas DC-9
at the southern part of the airport, installed in December 2002. It is not far from the General Aviation Terminal.
Outside the main car park, there is a Cessna 421B Golden Eagle, registered EC-FPA preserved on plinths. It was installed in 2011.
Palma de Mallorca Airport
Palma de Mallorca Airport is an airport located east of Palma, Majorca, adjacent to the village of Can Pastilla. Also known as Son Sant Joan Airport or Aeroport de Son Sant Joan, it is the third largest airport in Spain, after Madrid's Barajas Airport and Barcelona Airport...
. It is an important airport for Spanish tourism as it is the main international airport serving the Costa Del Sol
Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol is a region in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the Mediterranean coastline of the Málaga province. The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known costas: Costa de la Luz and Costa Tropical...
. It is 8 km (5 mi) southwest of Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
and 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Torremolinos
Torremolinos
Torremolinos is a municipality on the Costa del Sol of the Mediterranean, immediately to the west of the city of Málaga, in the province of Málaga in the autonomous region of Andalusia in southern Spain...
. The airport has flight connections to over 60 countries worldwide, and over 12 million passengers passed through it in 2010.
The airport operates with three terminals. The third terminal adjacent to the previous two opened on 15 March 2010. A second runway is expected to be complete and fully operational by the beginning of 2012.
Málaga Airport is the international airport of Andalucia accounting for 85 percent of its international traffic and is the only one offering a wide variety of international destinations. The airport, connected to the Costa Del Sol
Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol is a region in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the Mediterranean coastline of the Málaga province. The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known costas: Costa de la Luz and Costa Tropical...
, has a daily link with twenty cities in Spain and over one hundred cities in Europe. Direct flights also operate to Africa, the Middle East and also to North America in the summer season.
History and development
Málaga Airport is one of the oldest Spanish airports that has stayed in its original location.Didier Daurat
Didier Daurat was a pioneer of French aviation.-Biography:Daurat was a fighter pilot during World War I, distinguishing himself by spotting the Paris Gun which was pounding Paris....
began regular flights between Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, 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...
, Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
and Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
.
In 1937, Málaga Airport became a military base. Training academies for the Air Force were set up, under the command of Republican Don Abelardo Moreno Miró.
On 12 July 1946, the airport was opened to international civil passenger flights, and was classified as a custom post.
The single runway was extended in the 1960s, and a new terminal was erected in the centre of the site. During this period of development, new navigational equipment was installed, including radar system at the end of the decade, in 1970.
The airport was given its current title in 1965. In 1968 a new passenger terminal was opened. In 1972 a second passenger terminal was opened to cater specifically for non-scheduled traffic. An increase in companies offering package holiday
Package holiday
A package holiday or package tour consists of transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. Other services may be provided like a rental car, activities or outings during the holiday. Transport can be via charter airline to a foreign country...
s (around 30 by 1965) meant that this type of traffic was providing an increasing proportion of the airport's business. The terminal was very similar to the ones that were built in Palma de Mallorca
Palma de Mallorca Airport
Palma de Mallorca Airport is an airport located east of Palma, Majorca, adjacent to the village of Can Pastilla. Also known as Son Sant Joan Airport or Aeroport de Son Sant Joan, it is the third largest airport in Spain, after Madrid's Barajas Airport and Barcelona Airport...
, Alicante
Alicante Airport
Alicante Airport , , originally named El Altet, is the sixth busiest airport in Spain, and the main airport for the Province of Alicante and the Region of Murcia. The airport is situated southwest of Alicante and east of Elche in the municipality of Elche on Mediterranean coast. Up to eighty...
, Ibiza
Ibiza Airport
Ibiza Airport is the airport serving the Balearic islands of Ibiza and Formentera in Spain, used by 95% of all people who arrive at or depart from these two islands...
and Girona.
In 1995, the old passenger building was converted into a general aviation terminal, and a new hangar for large aircraft maintenance was built to the north of the airport site. Also constructed was a terminal specifically catering for cargo traffic a year later, along with a hangar for maintenance of big aircraft.
In 1997 an enlargement of the parking of gates was built and fuel systems were added at all the gates.
The airport's domestic departures section once had the head office of Binter Mediterraneo
Binter Mediterraneo
Binter Mediterraneo was a Spanish airline with its head office in the Domestic Departures area of Malaga Airport in Malaga, Spain. , the airline was created in 1988 in the likeness of Binter Canarias, another a subsidiary of Iberia LAE...
.
In November 2002 a new control tower was built with a height of 54m,.
In 2004 the "Málaga Plan" was started, including ideas for construction of a new terminal, and a new runway.
In November 2005 Monarch
Monarch Airlines
Monarch Airlines, often shortened to and trading as Monarch, is a British charter and scheduled airline based at London Luton Airport in Luton. It is one of the United Kingdom's largest charter airlines, operating to Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, India and Africa, serving mainly leisure...
opened a base at Málaga. It based an Airbus A320-200 there which operated scheduled services were added to Aberdeen
Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK...
, Blackpool and Newquay
Newquay Cornwall International Airport
-See also:*Newquay Cornwall Airport Fire and Rescue Service-External links:*...
. However, due to their routes being unpopular, the base was closed in 2007.
In March 2007, Clickair
Clickair
Clickair was a low-cost airline that was based in the Parc de Negocis Mas Blau in El Prat de Llobregat, near Barcelona, Spain. Clickair flew to nearly 40 destinations in Europe...
opened a base at Málaga after announcing a new route to Barcelona. The base has remained since the airline merged with Vueling.
On 26 February 2009, Ándalus Líneas Aéreas
Ándalus Líneas Aéreas
Ándalus Líneas Aéreas also known as just Ándalus was a regional airline based in Málaga, Spain. It offered regular flights, charters and Adhoc services aiming to attract tourist traffic to Andalucia and opening up new destinations for the community....
started operations from Málaga, but then ceased opeartons in August 2010. This was the only airline that had their main base at Málaga.
On 16 December 2009, low cost carrier Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
announced a base at this airport. This would be their 38th base with an additional 19 routes, bringing Ryanair's total routes from Málaga to 39. The base opened on 23 June 2010. An extra route to Barcelona was announced after the planned opening of their Barcelona base.
On 15 March 2010, the new Terminal 3 was completed. It was opened by King Juan Carlos of Spain, opening to public use the following day.
On 10 September 2010, the suburban train station at Málaga Airport was opened, providing access to catch a train to Málaga from Terminal 3.
In November 2011, Helitt Líneas Aéreas
Helitt Líneas Aéreas
Helitt Líneas Aéreas is an airline based in Málaga, Spain. Its main base is Málaga Airport.-Destinations:Helitt Líneas Aéreas operates the following services :*Spain**Barcelona - El Prat Airport**Madrid - Barajas Airport**Málaga - Málaga Airport...
opened their base at Málaga, operating flights to Melilla Airport
Melilla Airport
Melilla Airport is an airport located southwest Melilla, Spain . The airport is located near the border with Morocco. The airport was opened in 1969.-Airlines and destinations:- Incidents and accidents :...
.
Terminals
Málaga Airport has three terminals, adjacent to each other. There is also a General Aviation Terminal and a Cargo Terminal. The terminals have a total of 164 check-in desks, and have a total of 48 boarding gates of which 26 have airbridges. Although certain airlines check-in at certain terminals, all flights leave from Terminal 3.Terminal 1
Terminal 1 (styled as T1) was used for flights to non-Schengen destinations, along with flights to Ceuta and Mellila. On 16 March 2010, flights to non-Schengen destinations moved to Pier C in Terminal 3 and flights to Ceuta and Mellila moved to Pier D, leaving Terminal 1 operating no flights. When the new terminal opened, the airline Jet2 checked in their luggage there, but now this is done in Terminal 2. It opened on 30 June 1972. Terminal 1 can be accessed from the Terminal 2 check-in hall, but there is little there as all the shops are closed. However, the terminal 1 baggage hall is still open and some airlines sometimes use it, although they also use another terminal. Air Europa particularly does this.The terminal is due to be refurbished, and has received new check-in desks, along with a new baggage reclaim carousel. There are four gates, numbered B32, B34, B36 and B38, of which can also be accessed from Terminal 2. However they are rarely used.
The terminal 1 baggage hall was shown in the episode "The Return of the Seven: Part 1" in series 2 of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven English migrant construction workers. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in Düsseldorf....
.
Terminal 2
Terminal 2 (styled as T2) was opened on 30 November 1991, known as the Pablo Ruiz Picasso terminal. The building was designed by architect Ricardo BofillRicardo Bofill
Ricardo Bofill, also Ricard Bofill Leví is a Catalan Spanish postmodernist architect.He studied at the School of Architecture in Geneva, Switzerland...
, and was built to be operated in combination with the pre-existing passenger terminal. It has three floors and a basement, the second floor is for departures and the ground floor is for arrivals. The first floor is used for the lower level for Pier B, and for alleyways leading to arrivals. The basement is for the Rent-A-Car pickup desks. To complete the terminal, a building was built for car parking and Rent-A-Car, which were built right next to the entrance of the Departures and Arrivals lounges.
Pier B was used for flights to Mainland Europe and the rest of the world while Pier C was used for flights to the UK and Ireland, however some flights destined for the UK and Ireland occasionally used Pier B. The flights to mainland Europe did not apply to Blue Air
Blue Air
Blue Air Transport Aerian S.A. is a low-cost airline based in Bucharest, Romania, operating mostly out of Aurel Vlaicu International Airport It started operations in December 2004.- Destinations :...
, as they left from Pier C. Pier B and Pier C are now in Terminal 3 (same building however).
Development work was completed on the Terminal in 2008. The original structure leading to Pier C in departures was demolished and relocated, to allow building work for Terminal 3. However, it has now closed and Pier C is now accessed from the new Terminal building.
Work in the terminal had to be done before the new terminal opened. Because terminal 1 was due to close, all of the gate numbers had to be changed. The only gate that kept its original gate number was B16. The last flight to use the original gate numbers, was an Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
flight to London Gatwick
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
.
When the new terminal opened, Terminal 2 changed. The arrivals waiting area was closed to allow passengers to transfer themselves between terminals. This area now has three extra baggage carousels. Most of the alleyway was closed off and a new part was created, of which it now has a brand new passport control and a new set of escalators.
Terminal 2 has had renovation since the new terminal has opened. Although work has not finished, the arrivals floor of Terminal 2 was refurbished in early 2011. There is also currently works on the old shopping area which is currently closed off. The total cost for all of the refurbishment work is 2,567,700 euros.
Terminal 3
Terminal 3 (styled as T3) is a new terminal at Málaga Airport. Plans for construction started in 2001 and construction started in 2004. It was expected to open in 2008 but it was delayed to 2009. It was opened on 15 March 2010 by King Juan Carlos.The new terminal building at Málaga Airport has been designed by the architect Bruce S Fairbanks. The terminal was built to increase tourism around the Costa Del Sol, and to expand the airport due to increasing number of passengers. The cost of developing the new terminal is 410 million euros. It is adjacent to Terminal 2 and has an area of 250,000m², which is more than double the size of Terminal 2. It has 86 check in counters, numbered 301 to 386, 20 new boarding gates, twelve of which will have airbridges and 12 baggage reclaim carousels, nine European Union, two non-European Union and one special baggage reclaim carousel.
It has the largest food hall in Europe and the first National Geographic store in the world. The shops also include a Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
, a Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
with a Whopper Bar in, a Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
and an Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
shop. The terminal has more than doubled capacity to 30 million passengers or 9,000 an hour, is expected to double the number of flights and the 12,813,764 passengers handled during 2008, and this will increase more when the new runway is complete.
It consists of three piers or docks: Pier B (with 13 gates, 7 with airbridges), Pier C (with 10 gates, 7 with airbridges) and Pier D (with 20 gates, 12 with airbridges). Pier B is used for non-European traffic, Pier C is used by non-Schengen Traffic and Pier D is used for Schengen Traffic. Flights to the UK and Ireland use both Pier B and Pier C, of which these piers used to be in Terminal 2. When the new apron opens, a further 8 gates in Pier D will be opened.
Although flights from Terminal 1 were bound for non-Schengen destinations, along with flights to Ceuta and Mellia, some airlines such as Luxair
Luxair
Luxair S.A., Société Luxembourgeoise de Navigation Aérienne, operating as Luxair, is the flag carrier airline of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It operates scheduled services to 50 destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Middle East, plus charter and seasonal summer services....
occasionally left from Terminal 1, using their Embraer
Embraer
Embraer S.A. is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft and provides aeronautical services....
and Bombardier
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
. Usually the Small Embraer planes use Terminal 1 because the airbridges in Terminal 2 are too big for them. This used to operate in Terminal 2 and now operates in Terminal 3. They don't use Terminal 1 or 2 anymore, and now the aircraft depart from gates with a bus transfer, as the gates are still too big for the aircraft. This does not apply to Flybe
Flybe
Flybe Group PLC is a British low-cost regional airline headquartered at the Jack Walker House at Exeter International Airport in Devon, England...
as it only applies to airlines that use Terminal 3
Video about the new terminal is at TVSpain.tv, and Aena.es.
General Aviation Terminal
The General Aviation Terminal at Málaga Airport (also known as the Private Aviation Terminal) is located next to the N-340N-340
The N-340 is a major highway in Spain. It is over 1,000 km long starting south of Barcelona and running predominantly along the coast to Chiclana de la Frontera and the N-IV to Cádiz. In many places the road has now been by-passed by the Autovía A-7 and Autopista AP-7.It follows the former...
motorway, and close by Runway 31. The terminal was formed from the old passenger terminal building, and has since been renewed and refurbished. It was opened on 29 January 1968.
The terminal is used for private jets and by Ryjet.
Cargo terminal
The Cargo terminal was opened in 1996, with 16 docking bays for road transport veichles. It has an area of 5,700 m2 and contains four cold storage rooms, a vault for valuable merchandise, and an area for hazardous and radioactive materials. It is located in the north of the airport, named "Carga Aena" in Spanish.Airlines and destinations
Monarch Airlines
Monarch Airlines, often shortened to and trading as Monarch, is a British charter and scheduled airline based at London Luton Airport in Luton. It is one of the United Kingdom's largest charter airlines, operating to Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, India and Africa, serving mainly leisure...
use both piers.
Top airlines by capacity
This is a table of which airlines at Málaga Airport operate the most flights:EWLINE
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Other plans, works and developments
Runway
A new runway is due to open in early 2012. It will be located on the other side of the terminals where the current runway is. It will be in the direction of 12/30 and it will have three rapid exits.Car park
A new car park has been built with seven floors and 2,500 parking spaces, with underground parking for 66 coaches. A long stay car park is also expected to open in mid 2010.Fire station
There is due to be a new building for the airport's fire service, located on the new runway. The airport will then have two fire stations, one on each runway.South power station
A new south power station will be built to serve both runways, with a surface area of 5,580m²Statistics
Passenger numbers increased from 6 million in 1995 to 13.6 million passengers in 2007, dropping to 12.8 million in 2008. There was a further 9.3% reduction in 2009 with passenger numbers falling to around 11.6 million and the number of aircraft movements reducing by 13.6% to 103,536. Cargo operations are decreasing each year.EWLINE
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The busiest routes are those within the EU, particularly to and from the United Kingdom and Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. According to 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...
, the busiest route is to London Gatwick
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
closely followed by Dublin
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
and Manchester. Other busy routes are to London Stansted
London Stansted Airport
-Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures...
, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam, Brussels
Brussels Airport
Brussels Airport is an international airport northeast of Brussels, Belgium. The airport is partially in Zaventem and partially in the Diegem area of Machelen, both located in the Flemish Region of Belgium.Brussels Airport currently consists of 54 contact gates, and a total of 109 gates...
and Copenhagen
Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport is the main international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the Oresund Region. It is located on the island of Amager, south of Copenhagen city centre, and west of Malmö city centre on the other side of the Oresund Bridge. The airport lies mainly in the municipality...
.
The airport is used by people visiting Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, since more airlines cover this airport than Gibraltar Airport
Gibraltar Airport
Gibraltar Airport or North Front Airport is the civilian airport that serves the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It is owned by the Ministry of Defence for use by the Royal Air Force as RAF Gibraltar. Civilian operators use the airport; currently the only scheduled flights operate to the...
. However Gibraltar Airport is also getting a major expansion.
Access
Only one road accesses the airport - the MA-21 (TorremolinosTorremolinos
Torremolinos is a municipality on the Costa del Sol of the Mediterranean, immediately to the west of the city of Málaga, in the province of Málaga in the autonomous region of Andalusia in southern Spain...
–Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
). A new access is planned to be opened in November 2011.
Transportation hub
Málaga Airport now has a transportation hub outside the new terminal 3 that can be accessed from the new terminal building from both the arrivals and departures levels. There is an arrivals floor and a departures floor. The bus station and the suburban train station can be reached from the arrivals level, and both car parks can be reached from the departures level down a long covered walkway.Bus station
There is a bus station located underground at the airport. It can be reached from the arrivals level of the transportation hub or from arrivals in terminal 3 which can be accessed from all terminals. There is also a bus stop outside the cargo terminal.Public Transport Information
Following a collaborative agreement between the Malaga Area Metropolitan Transport ConsortiumMalaga Metropolitan Transport Consortium
The Málaga Area Metropolitan Transport Consortium is a Spanish public transport company founded on 18 September 2003 as an associative Public Law Body comprising the Andalusian Regional Government, Málaga Provincial Council and the local councils of Málaga, Mijas, Benalmádena, Rincón de la...
, the Malaga Transport Company (EMTSAM) and the Portillo Avanza bus company, a new public information and bus ticket sale point is now in operation at Malaga – Costa del Sol Airport. Located near the exit from terminal T3 (Arrivals), it will enable tourists and local residents alike to obtain the Billete Único (Malaga Metropolitan Travel Card), which offers significant discounts on the inter-urban bus services managed by the Malaga Area Metropolitan Transport Consortium, and to purchase both the Bus Card used within the city of Malaga itself and tickets for direct Portillo Avanza bus connections from the airport to the Costa del Sol (Marbella, Estepona and, in the near future, Algeciras).
The new service will be open to the public from 8:30 to 20:00 without interruption.
Tourists arriving at the airport will now be able to take public transport from the airport to their final destinations and get around the city of Malaga and other locations on the Costa del Sol in convenient, practical and economical fashion without having to depend on private vehicles.
The following bus services operate from Málaga Airport:
| Bus | Departure zone | Carrier | Line | Destination | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Terminal 3 Arrivals Roadway | EMT Málaga | A Express | Málaga city center Centro (Málaga) Centro , also known as District 1 and Málaga-Centro, is one of the 10 districts of the city of Málaga, Spain.It comprises de following wards :... |
http://www.emtmalaga.es/ |
| |Terminal 3 Arrivals Roadway | EMT Málaga | 19 | Port of Málaga Port of Málaga The Port of Málaga is an international seaport located in the city of Málaga in southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol coast of the Mediterranean. It is the oldest continuously-operated port in Spain and one of the oldest in the Mediterranean.... |
http://www.emtmalaga.es/ | |
| |Terminal 3 Arrivals Roadway | CTSA-Portillo | ||||
| Marbella Marbella Marbella is a town in Andalusia, Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, in the province of Málaga, beneath the La Concha mountain. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234, in 2010 approximately 135,000.... |
http://www.ctsa-portillo.com/ | ||||
| |Terminal 3 Arrivals Roadway and Outside Cargo Terminal | Málaga Metropolitan Transport Consortium | M-135 | Santa Amalia | http://www.ctmam.es/lineas/M-135 | http://www.ctmam.es/recorridos/M-135 |
Suburban train line
The airport has opened an underground station for Cercanías MálagaCercanías Málaga
Cercanías Málaga is a commuter rail service between central Málaga, Spain, and towns in the province. The network consists of 70 km of track, with two lines and 24 stations in operation. The trains are powered by overhead lines and run on broad Iberian gauge track.- Line C-1 Malaga - Airport -...
commuter trains, connecting it with Málaga and providing this way better communications with the city center. The station opened on 10 September 2010. Málaga's new suburban train line has opened, providing access from the arrivals area of terminal 3. Trains run every 30 minutes between Málaga City and Fuengirola
Fuengirola
Fuengirola, in ancient times known as Suel and then Suhayl, is a large town and municipality on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga, autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is a major tourist resort, with more than 8 km of beaches, and home to a mediæval Moorish fortress...
via Málaga Airport.
The line is to be extended to Marbella, but this will not be complete until 2013 at the earliest. Works are stopped waiting for financial help from the European Investment Bank
European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank is the European Union's long-term lending institution established in 1958 under the Treaty of Rome. A policy-driven bank, the EIB supports the EU’s priority objectives, especially European integration and the development of economically weak regions...
. The line also may be extended to Algeciras, but this has yet to be confirmed.
Car parks
Before the new terminal opened the airport had only one large car park, called P2. The airport now has two, with 3,700 spaces (1,200 in P2, 2,500 in the new P1). All outdoor spaces now have covers over them. They can also be reached by the transportation hub.Accidents and incidents
- 13 September 1964 - A BalairBalairBalair was a Swiss airline that became BalairCTA when it merged with CTA/Compagnie de Transport Aerien in 1993. Balair had its headquarters in Basel.-Company history:...
Fokker F-27 (registration HB-AAI) approaching the runway too high. The pilot did a steep descent and the plane landed heavily, causing part of a wing to break off. There were no fatalities. The aircraft was scrapped.
- 20 December 1970 - A SobelairSobelairSobelair was an airline from Belgium. It was headquartered in Brussels and operated mostly non-scheduled passenger and cargo flights out of Brussels Airport.-History:...
Douglas DC-6B (registration OO-CTL) returned to Málaga due to severe weather at the aircraft's destination. A hydraulic system failure occurred and the left main undercarriage gear failed. This caused the aircraft to veer left once it landed. There were no fatalities. The aircraft was scrapped.
- 13 September 1982 – Spantax Flight BX995Spantax Flight 995Spantax Flight 995 was a charter flight from Madrid-Barajas Airport to New York via Malaga Airport . When the aircraft was rolling for take-off, the pilot felt a strong vibration and aborted the take-off...
a DC-10-30CF (registration EC-DEG) When the aircraft was rolling for take-off, the pilot felt a strong vibration and aborted the take-off. The flightcrew lost control of the aircraft and were unable to stop in the runwayRunwayAccording to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
length available. The aircraft overran the runway, hit an airfield aerial installation, and lost an engine. It crossed the Málaga–Torremolinos Highway, hitting vehicles before hitting a railway embankment and bursting into flames. An emergency evacuation of the aircraft was carried out but 50 on board died, and a further 110 persons were hospitalized. The cause of the accident was the detachment of fragments from a recapped tread on the right wheel of the nose gear, creating vibration.
- 25 September 1998 - PauknAir Flight PV4101PauknAir Flight 4101PauknAir Flight 4101 was a British Aerospace BAe 146 that crashed on a flight from Málaga, Spain to the Spanish North African exclave of Melilla. All 38 passengers and crew on board the aircraft were killed in the accident. - The aircraft:...
a British Aerospace BAe 146 (Registration EC-GEO) crashed on a flight from Málaga, Spain to the Spanish North African exclave of Melilla due to bad visibility. All 38 passengers and crew on board the aircraft were killed in the accident.
- 29 August 2001 - Binter Mediterráneo Flight BIM8261Binter Mediterráneo Flight 8261Binter Mediterráneo Flight 8261 , on 29 August 2001, crash-landed next to N-340, some 200 meters short of the runway 32 at Ruiz Picasso International Airport at Málaga, Spain. The pilot reported to Málaga Air Traffic Control, while on final approach, the aircraft's port engine had failed, and that...
a CASA CN-235CASA CN-235The CASA/IPTN CN-235 is a medium-range twin-engined transport plane that was jointly developed by CASA of Spain and IPTN of Indonesia as a regional airliner and military transport. Its primary military roles include maritime patrol, surveillance, and air transport...
(registration EC-FBC) was on a flight from Melilla to Málaga. On final approach the aircraft's left engine failed, and the aircraft made an emergency landing. The plane hit the first edge lights and stopped next to the N-340N-340The N-340 is a major highway in Spain. It is over 1,000 km long starting south of Barcelona and running predominantly along the coast to Chiclana de la Frontera and the N-IV to Cádiz. In many places the road has now been by-passed by the Autovía A-7 and Autopista AP-7.It follows the former...
. Investigation into the accident revealed that shortly after the initial engine failure, the First Officer inadvertently shut down both of the aircraft's engines, leading to a total loss of power. Four out of the 44 people onboard were killed including the pilot Capt. Fdez. Ruano. The aircraft was scrapped.
Public attractions
There is a front section of an IberiaIberia Airlines
Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport....
EC-CGO McDonnell Douglas DC-9
McDonnell Douglas DC-9
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
at the southern part of the airport, installed in December 2002. It is not far from the General Aviation Terminal.
Outside the main car park, there is a Cessna 421B Golden Eagle, registered EC-FPA preserved on plinths. It was installed in 2011.