The 30 largest airports and airlines in Spain

Capital Airport Adolfo Suárez

Spain is one of the most popular destinations in Europe. The largest in terms of passenger numbers is Adolfo Suárez Airport in Madrid-Barajas. It is located about 12 km northeast of Madrid and has not only provided the capital with a steady supply of international tourists and business travelers since 1931, but is also a central hub for flights to Latin America today. Over 50 million passengers pass through the gates here every year. The airlines Iberia and Air Europa have their home in Madrid. Up to 120 aircraft movements per hour are possible on the current 4 runways (of which the two main runways intersect). Back in the 1950s, Madrid Airport was considered one of the most modern in Europe.

Mediterranean coast and Spanish islands

Madrid is followed in the ranking by Barcelona's international airport "El Prat", which is the first and almost only choice for many countries to reach Spain's Mediterranean coast. Since low-cost airlines only fly to Barcelona on a reduced basis, confusion occasionally arises. Jet2.com and Ryanair mainly fly to the surrounding airports in Girona and Reus, but like to refer to them as "Barcelona" as well. The airports of Valencia and Alicante are also located on the Mediterranean coast, but the number of international flight connections is already sparse. For the Atlantic coast, the already much smaller airport in Bilbao is the first port of call.

The airports on the Spanish islands are much better known internationally and are just as busy. Palma de Mallorca, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are served by many airlines from all over Europe and bring numerous tourists to the islands, especially during the peak travel periods in summer.

Freight volume

In 2021, a total of 850.82 million ton-kilometers (= total mass transported in tons multiplied by kilometers traveled) of cargo was moved by air in Spain. Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport alone accounted for around 381,069 metric tons.

The biggest airlines based in Spain

The largest airline in the country with scheduled passenger traffic and in terms of fleet size is Vueling Airlines. It flies to 148 domestic and international airports. It currently has a fleet of 126 aircrafts. The main airlines for civil passenger traffic in Spain are: