La Palma airport
Aeropuerto de La Palma | |
---|---|
Characteristics | |
ICAO code | GCLA |
IATA code | SPC |
Coordinates | |
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 |
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
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
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
Web links
- Official website of the airport (German, English, Spanish)
- Official website of the operator (English, Spanish)
- Airport data on World Aero Data
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b History. Aena.es , accessed December 31, 2018 .
- ↑ a b Introduction. Aena.es , accessed on November 2, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c d e Estadísticas de tráfico aéreo. Aena.es , accessed November 2, 2019 (Spanish).
- ↑ Airport destinations. Aena.es , accessed on November 2, 2019 .
- ↑ a b Estadísticas de tráfico aéreo. Aena.es , accessed December 31, 2018 (Spanish).