La Palma airport

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Aeropuerto de La Palma
New terminal 2013
Characteristics
ICAO code GCLA
IATA code SPC
Coordinates

28 ° 37 '35 "  N , 17 ° 45' 20"  W Coordinates: 28 ° 37 '35 "  N , 17 ° 45' 20"  W.
Height above MSL 33 m (108  ft )
Transport links
Distance from the city center approx. 8 km south of Santa Cruz de La Palma
Local transport Bus line to Santa Cruz de La Palma and Los Cancajos
Basic data
opening April 15, 1970
operator Aena
Terminals 1
Passengers 1,420,277 (2018)
Air freight 565 t (2018)
Flight
movements 		22,033 (2018)
Capacity
( PAX per year) 		2.5 million
Start-and runway
18/36 2200 m × 45 m asphalt

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The La Palma Airport ( Spanish Aeropuerto de La Palma , IATA code : SPC , ICAO code : GCLA ) is the international airport of politically to Spain and geographically to Africa belonging Canary Island of La Palma .

history

Old tower of the former airport

On February 19, 1921, the then Marítimo Canaria company received approval from the Ministry of Transport to set up an air service on the coast of Tazacorte . A new airfield was planned in the early 1950s . The choice of the location was difficult, however, as the island of La Palma is very mountainous and offers hardly any flat surface near the capital. So it was decided to build the airfield called Buenavista de Arriba about three kilometers west of the island's capital Santa Cruz at an altitude of 350 meters. This airfield was opened on September 22nd, 1955 for civil aviation and the first tourist flights. In 1958, the approx. 1000 meter long runway 03/21 was given an asphalt surface. Aircraft of the type Junkers Ju 52 / 3m and Douglas DC-3 operated . The runway and the tower and the airport building still exist from the old airport, which has since been converted into a private house. But since this airfield was not sustainable due to the difficult wind and weather conditions, the new airport was opened near Mazo, about eight kilometers south of Santa Cruz, on April 15, 1970. Due to the large volume of traffic, the runway was later extended by around 500 meters to the north. It was completed on April 1, 1980 and has remained unchanged to this day.

But this airport is also positioned in a wind-prone location - in rare westerly wind weather conditions, downwinds arise from the mountain slopes on a few days a year, where air traffic has to be partially or even completely stopped. In one of the longest incidents of this type from April 6 to 10, 2008, around three quarters of all flight movements were canceled, and in some cases the airport was completely closed. Many charter flights have been diverted to Tenerife South Airport. Over 1500 passengers had to use ferry connections or stay on Tenerife or the other islands.

present

The expansion of the airport began in March 2005. The investment volume was 103.9 million euros. An apron extension, which had to make way for the old terminal, a new tower and a larger terminal with passenger boarding bridges and a capacity of up to three million passengers per year were built (opened in 2011). The terminal consists of a total of eight levels with a total area of ​​around 95,000 m². Various shops and restaurants as well as the departure area are located on the top floor. The arrivals area is located on the middle level, and the baggage claim area has five baggage carousels. There are also 24 check-in counters, various shops, restaurants and information desks on this level. A two-story car park forms the lower levels. The safety equipment was extensively modernized, such as the fire brigade , which was relocated to a new building opposite the terminal on the other side of the runway.

Airlines and Destinations

Iberia Express connects La Palma daily with the Spanish capital Madrid . Binter Canarias connects La Palma daily with Tenerife and Gran Canaria . The airport is also served several times a week by European airlines, mainly from Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Traffic figures

Source: Aena
Traffic figures of the Aeropuerto de La Palma 2000-2018
year Passenger volume Air freight ( tons ) Flight movements
2018 1,420,277 565 20,033
2017 1,302,485 617 17,757
2016 1,116,146 584 17,296
2015 971.676 565 15,800
2014 862.836 549 14,990
2013 809.521 578 12,891
2012 965.779 686 16,933
2011 1,067,431 852 19,455
2010 992.363 941 19,256
2009 1,043,274 1,084 19,742
2008 1,151,357 1,277 20,109
2007 1,207,572 1,398 20,427
2006 1,175,328 1,383 21,364
2005 1,145,569 1,439 20,792
2004 1,015,667 1,502 19,067
2003 941.118 1,433 17,542
2002 902.490 1,473 13,925
2001 943,536 1,594 14,673
2000 896.364 1,757 14,955

photos

  • Inside view of the new terminal, level 0

  • Interior view of the new terminal, level 1 with restaurants and security checks

  • Runway, apron and terminal from the west

Web links

Commons : La Palma Airport  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b History. Aena.es , accessed December 31, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b Introduction. Aena.es , accessed on November 2, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e Estadísticas de tráfico aéreo. Aena.es , accessed November 2, 2019 (Spanish).
  4. ↑ Airport destinations. Aena.es , accessed on November 2, 2019 .
  5. ↑ a b Estadísticas de tráfico aéreo. Aena.es , accessed December 31, 2018 (Spanish).