Palma de Mallorca Airport
Encyclopedia
Palma de Mallorca Airport (Catalan
: Aeroport de Palma de Mallorca, Spanish
: Aeropuerto de Palma de Mallorca) is an airport
located 8 km (5 mi) 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. During the summer months it is one of the busiest airports in Europe
, and was used by 21.1 million passengers in 2010. The airport is the main base for the Spanish
carrier Air Europa and also a focus airport for German
carrier Air Berlin
.
Palma de Mallorca Airport occupies an area of 6.3 km² (2.4 sq mi). Due to rapid growth of passenger numbers, additional infrastructure was added to the two terminals
A (1965) and B (1972). This main terminal was designed by local architect Pere Nicolau Bonet and was officially opened on 12 April 1997. The airport now consists of four modules: Module A, Module B, Module C and Module D. The airport can handle 25 million passengers per year, with a capacity to dispatch 12,000 passengers per hour. Future plans include an increase of the passenger capacity to 32 million passengers in 2010 and to 38 million passengers in 2015.
s were used for postal services to the other Balearic Islands
. A flat field next to Son Sant Joan was then used in the 1930s for flight routes to other parts of Spain. A private aerodome was also set up.
In 1938, Palma de Mallorca airport started being used for military aviation, while Iberia
and Deutsche Lufthansa
established new routes to the military base.
In 1954, Palma de Mallorca's runway was extended and asphalted, and also had brand new taxiways and aprons added near it. This made the airport able to serve more airlines and more types of aircraft.
The increase in traffic in 1958 led to a new terminal being constructed, and turned the airbase into a large civilian airport. A new large apron was also built. The new airport opened to domestic and international traffic on 7 July 1960. Just two weeks later, expansion to the aerodome was planned, including the extension of the runway and taxiway. At the end of the year, more plans were made, including a power plant, a communications centre and fire and rescue facilities.
After reaching 1 million passengers for the first time in 1962, in 1965, a new terminal was constructed, and air navigation services were completed at the end of the following year. Also in 1965, a smaller terminal which today is terminal B was planned to be built, due to passenger numbers increasing rapidly, reaching 2 million in 1965. A second runway was also to be built. It was to be built parallel to the existing one, and work began on it in 1970. Two years later, terminal B went into service, and the second runway opened in 1974.
In 1980, the airport carried 7 million passengers. However, this increased to nearly 10 million in 1986. This yet again led to a new terminal to be constructed, which is today's current terminal, which is terminal A. Construction started in mid 1993 and was designed by the Majorcan architect Pere Nicolau Bonet. during the construction in 1995, passenger numbers exceeded 15 million. The new terminal finally opened in 1997.
Today, Palma de Mallorca airport carries over 20 million passengers to their destinations, particularly to mainland Spain, Germany
and the United Kingdom
.
is the only airline to use this Module.
, Niki and Condor along with EasyJet
flights to Schengen destinations. The majority of airbridges have airberlin.com written on them.
The southern area of the Module was worked on and reopened in May 2011. The refurbishment and expansion is so that the Module can handle lots more flights, and to improve ways to get into the pier as it is the longest walk from security control. There will also be a further 8 gates with airbridges, but there will still be 33 in total.
Note: The list of airlines that use modules is based on the module that they usually use.
In addition to those listed above, there are also numerous charter flights.
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
: Aeroport de Palma de Mallorca, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Aeropuerto de Palma de Mallorca) is an airport
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...
located 8 km (5 mi) 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
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, after Madrid's Barajas Airport and Barcelona Airport. During the summer months it is one of the busiest airports in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and was used by 21.1 million passengers in 2010. The airport is the main base for the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
carrier Air Europa and also a focus airport for German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
carrier Air Berlin
Air Berlin
Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG is Germany's second largest airline, after Lufthansa, and Europe's sixth largest airline in terms of passengers....
.
Palma de Mallorca Airport occupies an area of 6.3 km² (2.4 sq mi). Due to rapid growth of passenger numbers, additional infrastructure was added to the two terminals
Airport terminal
An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....
A (1965) and B (1972). This main terminal was designed by local architect Pere Nicolau Bonet and was officially opened on 12 April 1997. The airport now consists of four modules: Module A, Module B, Module C and Module D. The airport can handle 25 million passengers per year, with a capacity to dispatch 12,000 passengers per hour. Future plans include an increase of the passenger capacity to 32 million passengers in 2010 and to 38 million passengers in 2015.
History
The history of Palma de Mallorca airport began in the 1920s, when seaplaneSeaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s were used for postal services to the other Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
. A flat field next to Son Sant Joan was then used in the 1930s for flight routes to other parts of Spain. A private aerodome was also set up.
In 1938, Palma de Mallorca airport started being used for military aviation, while Iberia
Iberia 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....
and Deutsche Lufthansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. was a German airline, serving as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and throughout the Third Reich.-1920s:Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded on 6 January 1926 in Berlin...
established new routes to the military base.
In 1954, Palma de Mallorca's runway was extended and asphalted, and also had brand new taxiways and aprons added near it. This made the airport able to serve more airlines and more types of aircraft.
The increase in traffic in 1958 led to a new terminal being constructed, and turned the airbase into a large civilian airport. A new large apron was also built. The new airport opened to domestic and international traffic on 7 July 1960. Just two weeks later, expansion to the aerodome was planned, including the extension of the runway and taxiway. At the end of the year, more plans were made, including a power plant, a communications centre and fire and rescue facilities.
After reaching 1 million passengers for the first time in 1962, in 1965, a new terminal was constructed, and air navigation services were completed at the end of the following year. Also in 1965, a smaller terminal which today is terminal B was planned to be built, due to passenger numbers increasing rapidly, reaching 2 million in 1965. A second runway was also to be built. It was to be built parallel to the existing one, and work began on it in 1970. Two years later, terminal B went into service, and the second runway opened in 1974.
In 1980, the airport carried 7 million passengers. However, this increased to nearly 10 million in 1986. This yet again led to a new terminal to be constructed, which is today's current terminal, which is terminal A. Construction started in mid 1993 and was designed by the Majorcan architect Pere Nicolau Bonet. during the construction in 1995, passenger numbers exceeded 15 million. The new terminal finally opened in 1997.
Today, Palma de Mallorca airport carries over 20 million passengers to their destinations, particularly to mainland Spain, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Module A
Located in the north of the airport. It has 28 gates of which 8 have airbridges. This is the only Module that has double airbridges attached to gates. The Pier is mainly used by flights to non-Schengen destinations including the UK and Ireland.Module B
The smallest Module located in the north east. It has 8 gates of which none have airbridges. Air NostrumAir Nostrum
Air Nostrum, Líneas Aéreas del Mediterráneo, S.A., also known as Iberia Regional, is a regional airline based in Valencia, Spain. Air Nostrum is an independent carrier which operates as a franchisee of Iberia Airlines. Iberia Regional franchise is a regional partner of Iberia and an affiliate...
is the only airline to use this Module.
Module C
The largest of the Modules located in the east. It has 33 gates of which 9 have airbridges. It is used by Air BerlinAir Berlin
Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG is Germany's second largest airline, after Lufthansa, and Europe's sixth largest airline in terms of passengers....
, Niki and Condor along with EasyJet
EasyJet
EasyJet Airline Company Limited is a British airline headquartered at London Luton Airport. It carries more passengers than any other United Kingdom-based airline, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 500 routes between 118 European, North African, and West Asian airports...
flights to Schengen destinations. The majority of airbridges have airberlin.com written on them.
The southern area of the Module was worked on and reopened in May 2011. The refurbishment and expansion is so that the Module can handle lots more flights, and to improve ways to get into the pier as it is the longest walk from security control. There will also be a further 8 gates with airbridges, but there will still be 33 in total.
Module D
Located in the south. It has 19 gates of which 10 have airbridges. All odd numbered gates are gates with a bus transfer. The majority of airbridges have airberlin.com written on them. Because of the closure of the southern area of Module C, this, it is used mainly for flights to Europe.Airlines and destinations
In addition to those listed above, there are also numerous charter flights.
Statistics
Following a decline in passenger numbers at the airport following the September 11 attacks in 2001, numbers rose steadily between 2002 and 2007 when traffic peaked at 23.2 million passengers, however from 2007 there has been a decline in passenger numbers with 21.1 million using the airport in 2010.EWLINE
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Accidents and Incidents
- On 4 January 1991, Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
EC-EQH of Aeromarket Express overran the runway on a cargo flight to Menorca AirportMenorca AirportMenorca Airport or Mahón Airport is the airport serving the Balearic island of Minorca in the Mediterranean Sea, near the coast of Spain. The airport, located southwest of Mahón, was opened on 24 March 1969 when all civilian services were transferred from the neighbouring San Luis Airport...
and was damaged beyond repair.
- On 8 March 1993, Douglas C-47A EC-FAH of ARM crashed on take-off while on a cargo flight to Madrid-Barajas Airport. Both crew were killed.
- On 12 April 2002 TadairTadairTadair was an airline based in Barcelona, Spain. It was established in 1990 and operated general aviation aircraft associated with its flying school as well as regional charter services....
Flight 306 operated by a Fairchild Swearingen MetrolinerFairchild Swearingen MetrolinerThe Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
EC-GKR a cargo flight from Madrid-Barajas Airport to Palma de Mallorca. Flight 306 crashed on landing on runway 24L, killing both pilots.