Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport

For the airport in Barcelona, Venezuela, see General José Antonio Anzoátegui International Airport.

Josep Tarradellas
Barcelona–El Prat Airport

Aeropuerto Josep Tarradellas
Barcelona-El Prat[1]
Aeroport Josep Tarradellas
Barcelona-El Prat
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorAena
ServesBarcelona metropolitan area
LocationEl Prat de Llobregat
Hub for
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL4 m / 14 ft
Coordinates41°17′49″N 002°04′42″E / 41.29694°N 2.07833°E / 41.29694; 2.07833
Websiteaena.es
Maps
BCN is located in Spain
BCN
BCN
Location within Spain
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
06L/24R 3,743 12,281 Asphalt concrete
06R/24L 2,660 8,727 Asphalt concrete
02/20 2,528 8,293 Asphalt concrete
Statistics (2023)
Total passengers49,909,544
Aircraft movements318,957
Cargo (t)156,485,423
Sources: Passenger traffic, AENA,[2]
Spanish AIP, AENA[3][4]

Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport[1][5] (IATA: BCN, ICAO: LEBL) (Catalan: Aeroport Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, Spanish: Aeropuerto Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat), and also known as Barcelona-El Prat Airport, is an international airport located 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest[6][7] of the centre of Barcelona, lying in the municipalities of El Prat de Llobregat, Viladecans, and Sant Boi, in Catalonia, Spain.

It is the second-largest and second-busiest airport in Spain, the busiest international airport of Catalonia (largely surpassing Girona, Reus and Lleida), and the sixth busiest in Europe. In 2019, Barcelona Airport handled a record 52,686,314 passengers, up 5.0% from 2018. It is a hub for Level and Vueling, and a focus city for Air Europa, Iberia, EasyJet and Ryanair.

The Barcelona–Madrid air shuttle service, known as "Pont Aeri" (in Catalan) or "Puente Aéreo" (in Spanish), literally "Air Bridge", was the world's busiest route until 2008, with the highest number of flight operations (971 per week) in 2007.[8] The schedule has been reduced since February 2008, when a Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line was opened, covering the distance in 2 hours 30 minutes, and quickly became popular.[9]

The airport was renamed by the central Government of Spain to its current name on 21 December 2018 in honour of the first Catalan president under the current Spanish Constitution, Josep Tarradellas - a move widely criticised by the Generalitat de Catalunya and separatists due to non-consultation.[10]

History

[edit]

Foundation and early years

[edit]

Barcelona's first airfield, located at El Remolar, began operations in 1916. However, it did not have good expansion prospects, so a new airport at El Prat opened in 1918. The first plane was a Latécoère Salmson 300 which arrived from Toulouse with final destination Casablanca. The airport was used as headquarters of the Aeroclub of Catalonia and the base for the Spanish Navy's Zeppelin fleet. Scheduled commercial service began in 1927 with an Iberia service to Madrid Cuatro Vientos Airport. This was Iberia's first route. During the time of the Second Spanish Republic El Prat was one of the bases of LAPE (Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas).[11]

In 1948, a runway was built (now called runway 07-25); in the same year the first overseas service was operated by Pan American World Airways to New York City, using a Lockheed Constellation. Between 1948 and 1952, a second runway was constructed (runway 16–34), perpendicular to the previous, also taxiways were constructed and a terminal to accommodate passengers. In 1963, the airport reached one million passengers a year. A new control tower was built in 1965. In 1968, a new terminal was opened, which still exists and is in use as what is now Terminal 2B.[12]

On 3 August 1970, Pan American World Airways inaugurated regular service between Barcelona, Lisbon and New York, operated by a Boeing 747.[citation needed] On 4 November of the same year, Iberia began the "Air-shuttle" service between Barcelona and Madrid–Barajas. A few years later, in 1976, a terminal was built specifically for Iberia's air-shuttle service and a terminal exclusively for cargo, an annexed mail service and an aircraft ramp for air cargo. In 1977, the airport handled over 5 million passengers annually. [citation needed]

From the late seventies to the early nineties, the airport was stalled in traffic and investments until the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona. El Prat underwent a major development consisting of the modernization and expansion of the existing terminal, which became known as Terminal B, and the construction of two further terminals flanking that, known as Terminals A and C respectively.[12]

Development since 2010

[edit]

The new Terminal 1 was inaugurated on 16 June 2009, covering 545,000 m2 (5,866,331 sq ft). 70% of today's flights operate from Terminal 1. The old Terminals A, B and C are now known as Terminals 2A, 2B and 2C.[citation needed]

Due to the strong drop in air traffic after 1999 and the crisis in the aviation sector in 2001 many charter operations from Girona and Reus were diverted to El Prat, which helped the airport to survive the crisis.[citation needed]

On 1 February 2014, Barcelona–El Prat was the first Spanish airport to receive a daily flight with the Airbus A380-800, on the Emirates route to Dubai International Airport. Emirates also offers a second daily flight, also operated by the A380-800.[citation needed]

International Airlines Group (IAG) announced in December 2016 flights from Barcelona to the US, Latin America and Asia for the summer of 2017. IAG, formed by British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus, created Level, the second airline, after Norwegian, launching low-cost long haul flights from the Catalan city.[13] They announced flights from June 2017 to Los Angeles, Oakland, Punta Cana and Buenos Aires.[relevant?]

On 14 October 2019, the airport was the first target of protesters after the sentencing of the trial of Catalonia independence leaders. In the morning, called upon by Democratic Tsunami thousands flocked all the accesses and concourses disrupting normal operations. Catalan Police ordered the closing of all transportation services (bus, Metro and Rail) to avoid further arrivals of demonstrators. The blockade of the main access road (C-32 highway) with people walking between the terminals and city center made Taxi and other services unavailable. Deployment of riot police from Civil Guard, National Police and Mossos d'Esquadra to evict protesters lead to massive confrontations leaving dozens injured. Using social media the organizers called off the action by night time but disruption continued. More than a hundred flights were cancelled during the 14th of October and twenty more were announced for the next day by the main operator, Vueling.[14][15][16][17]

Operations

[edit]
Barcelona Airport in May 2014

Airlines

[edit]

Most of the traffic at Barcelona Airport is domestic and European, in which Vueling has an operational base. Intercontinental connections have not generated a significant amount of passenger traffic during the last years. In the early twenty-first century the airport passenger carried numbers and the number of operations increased significantly.[citation needed]

Low-cost airline traffic grew significantly, especially after the creation of operating bases by Vueling and Clickair at the airport. Vueling and Clickair merged in July 2009, operating under the Vueling name. Other low-cost airlines operate from the airport, including Ryanair, EasyJet, Norwegian Air International, EasyJet Switzerland, Wizz Air and Transavia. A new base was established at the airport in September 2010.[citation needed]

Infrastructure

[edit]

The airport has 3 runways, two parallel, nominated 06L/24R and 06R/24L (the latter opened in 2004), and a cross runway 02/20. There are two terminals: T2, which is the sum of the previous Terminals A, B and C, located on the north side of the airport and T1, on the west side, which opened on 16 June 2009. As of 2014 the two terminals had a combined total of 268 check-in counters and 64 boarding gates. Operations at the airport are restricted exclusively to Instrument flight rules (IFR) flights, except for sanitary, emergency and government VFR flights.[citation needed]

A plan for expansion (Plan Barcelona)[18] was completed in 2009, adding a third terminal building (also designed by Ricardo Bofill) and control tower. An additional runway (07R/25L) was also built. The airport became capable of handling 55 million passengers annually (up from 33 million in 2007). The airport expanded in area from 8.45 to 15.33 square kilometres (3.26 to 5.92 sq mi).[19] Further expansion was planned to be finished by 2012, with a new satellite terminal to raise capacity to 70 million passengers annually, this is better explained in Terminal T1 section.[citation needed]

Terminals

[edit]
Airport layout
The new control tower is a hyperboloid structure.
Terminal 1
Terminal 2

Terminal 1

[edit]

A new Terminal 1, designed by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura was inaugurated on 16 June 2009. The airport terminal has an area of 548,000 m2 (5,900,000 sq ft), an aircraft ramp of 600,000 m2 (6,500,000 sq ft), 13,000 new parking spaces and 45 new gates expandable to 60. This terminal is also capable of handling large aircraft like the Airbus A380-800 or Boeing 747-8I.

The terminal handles both Schengen and non-Schengen flights. It is split into 5 Modules with Module A handling flights to Madrid, Module B handling Schengen flights, Module C handling Air Nostrum flights, Module D handling non-Schengen European flights and Module E handling non-Schengen non-European flights.

Its facilities include:

  • 258 check-in counters
  • 60 jetways (some are prepared for the A380, with double jetways)
  • 15 baggage carousels (one new carousel is equivalent to four carousels in the old terminal)
  • 12,000 parking spaces, in addition to the 12,000 already in terminal 2

The forecast is that the airport will be able to handle 55 million passengers annually —as opposed to the 30 million people before its construction— and will reach 90 operations an hour.

The extension of the airport with a total investment of €5.1 billion in the future[when?] will include a new satellite terminal and refurbishment of existing terminals. The civil engineering phase of the South Terminal had a budget of €1 billion.

It is also planned the construction of a satellite terminal —T1S or Terminal 1 Satèl·lit, in Catalan— considering that the airport is on the verge of overcrowding because terminals cannot handle all passengers because of space shortage. This terminal will be at 1,5 kilometres from the current T1 terminal, behind the 02-20, transversal, runway. With this action, the airport will be able to increase its passenger capacity to 70 million people annually.

There are two lounges located in Terminal 1.

Terminal 2

[edit]

Terminal 2 is divided into three linked sections, known as Terminal 2A, 2B and 2C. Terminal 2B is the oldest part of the complex still in use, dating back to 1968. Terminals 2A and 2C were added in order to expand the airport capacity before the arrival of the 1992 Summer Olympics held in the city.[12] This expansion was also designed by Ricardo Bofill.

This terminal is mostly occupied by low-cost airlines, although there are some full-service airlines which also use this terminal.

Following the opening of Terminal 1 in 2009, Terminal 2 became almost empty until the airport authorities lowered landing fees to attract low-cost and regional carriers to fill the terminal. Whilst this has helped, the complex is nowhere near full capacity and Terminal 2A is currently unused for departures. Terminal 2C is used only by EasyJet and EasyJet Switzerland flights, with flights to the UK and other non-Schengen destinations using gates M, whilst flights to destinations in the Schengen area use gates R. Terminal 2B is mostly used by Ryanair and others, like Transavia. And T2A is adapted for large airplanes, such as B777. The terminal is also split into gate areas, where flights to Schengen destinations use gates U and flights to non Schengen destinations use gates W and Y.

Airlines and destinations

[edit]

The following airlines operate regular scheduled flights to and from Barcelona:[20]

AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Athens, Thessaloniki
Aer Lingus Dublin
Air Algérie Algiers, Oran
Air Arabia Casablanca, Fès, Nador, Rabat,[21] Tangier, Tétouan[22]
airBaltic Riga,[23] Tallinn (begins 19 February 2025)[24]
Air Canada Montréal–Trudeau
Seasonal: Toronto–Pearson[citation needed]
Air China Beijing–Capital,[25] Shanghai–Pudong[26]
Air Europa Madrid, Palma de Mallorca
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle[27]
Air Premia Charter: Seoul–Incheon[28]
Air Serbia Belgrade[29]
Air Transat Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau[citation needed]
American Airlines Miami, Philadelphia[30]
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare,[30] Dallas/Fort Worth,[30] New York–JFK[31]
Arkia Tel Aviv
Asiana Airlines Seoul–Incheon[32]
Atlantic Airways Seasonal: Vágar[33]
Austrian Airlines Vienna[34]
Avianca Bogotá
Azerbaijan Airlines Baku[35]
Azores Airlines Ponta Delgada
Bluebird Airways Tel Aviv[36]
British Airways London–City,[37] London–Heathrow[38]
Brussels Airlines Brussels[39]
Bulgaria Air Seasonal: Sofia[40]
Cathay Pacific Seasonal: Hong Kong[41]
Croatia Airlines Seasonal: Zagreb[42]
Cyprus Airways Seasonal: Larnaca[43]
Dan Air Bacău[44]
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, New York–JFK
Seasonal: Boston (begins 23 May 2025)[45]
easyJet Basel/Mulhouse, Berlin, Birmingham,[46] Bristol, Geneva, Glasgow, Lisbon, Liverpool, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, Lyon, Manchester,[47] Milan–Malpensa, Naples, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Strasbourg[48]
Seasonal: Belfast–International,[citation needed] Faro,[citation needed] Nice,[citation needed] Pisa,[49] Salzburg (begins 11 January 2025)[50]
Egyptair Cairo
Seasonal: Luxor[51]
El Al Tel Aviv[52]
Emirates Dubai–International,[53] Mexico City
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi[54]
Eurowings Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Prague, Salzburg (begins 11 April 2025),[55] Stuttgart
Finnair Helsinki
Fly Lili Seasonal: Brasov[56][57]
FlyOne Seasonal: Chișinău[58]
FlyOne Armenia Seasonal: Yerevan[59]
HiSky Bucharest–Otopeni[60]
Iberia Badajoz, León, Madrid,[61] Melilla, Pamplona, Valencia
Seasonal: Funchal,[62] Strasbourg[63]
Iberojet Tegucigalpa/Comayagua[64]
Seasonal: Cancún,[65] Punta Cana,[66] Santa Clara (begins 20 June 2025)[67]
Icelandair Reykjavík–Keflavík[68]
ITA Airways Rome–Fiumicino
Jet2.com Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne (begins 21 May 2026)[69]
KLM Amsterdam[70]
Kuwait Airways Kuwait City[71]
LATAM Brasil São Paulo–Guarulhos
Level Boston, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Los Angeles, Miami,[72] New York–JFK, Santiago de Chile
Seasonal: San Francisco[citation needed]
LOT Polish Airlines Warsaw–Chopin
Lufthansa Frankfurt, Munich
Luxair Luxembourg
Norwegian Air Shuttle[73] Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm–Arlanda
Seasonal: Aalborg,[citation needed] Bergen,[citation needed] Gothenburg,[citation needed] Sandefjord,[74] Stavanger[citation needed]
Nouvelair Tunis
Pegasus Airlines Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen
Play Reykjavík–Keflavík[75]
Qatar Airways Doha
Royal Air Maroc Casablanca
Seasonal: Tangier[citation needed]
Royal Jordanian Amman–Queen Alia[76]
Ryanair[77] Beauvais, Bergamo, Berlin, Billund, Birmingham, Bologna, Brussels, Budapest, Charleroi, Cologne/Bonn, Copenhagen,[78] Cork,[79][80] Dublin, Edinburgh,[81] Eindhoven, Fez, Fuerteventura, Ibiza, Jerez de la Frontera, Kraków, Liverpool, London–Luton, London–Stansted,[82] Luxembourg, Málaga, Malta, Manchester, Marrakesh, Menorca, Milan-Malpensa,[83] Nador, Naples, Newcastle upon Tyne, Ouarzazate, Palermo, Palma de Mallorca, Perugia, Poitiers, Porto,[84] Prague, Rabat, Reggio Calabria,[85] Riga, Rome–Fiumicino, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Stockholm–Arlanda, Sofia, Tallinn, Tangier,[86] Tenerife–North, Tenerife–South, Turin, Valladolid, Venice, Vienna, Vigo, Vilnius, Warsaw–Modlin
Seasonal: Alghero,[citation needed] Alicante,[87][88] Corfu,[citation needed] East Midlands,[citation needed] Faro,[89] Gdańsk,[citation needed] Glasgow–Prestwick,[citation needed] Gran Canaria, Hahn,[89] Maastricht,[citation needed] Oujda,[89] Santander,[citation needed] Trieste,[citation needed] Zadar[90]
Saudia Jeddah[91]
Seasonal: Riyadh[92]
Scandinavian Airlines Copenhagen,[93] Stockholm–Arlanda[93]
Seasonal: Oslo[citation needed]
Shenzhen Airlines Shenzhen
Singapore Airlines Milan–Malpensa, Singapore
SunExpress Seasonal: İzmir[citation needed]
Swiss International Air Lines Zürich[94]
TAP Air Portugal Lisbon
Transavia Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Paris–Orly, Rotterdam/The Hague
Tunisair Tunis
Turkish Airlines Istanbul
T'way Air Seoul–Incheon[95]
United Airlines Newark
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare,[citation needed] San Francisco,[96] Washington–Dulles[citation needed]
Volotea Asturias, Bordeaux (begins 20 February 2025),[97] Brest,[98] Cagliari, Murcia,[99] Nantes, Strasbourg
Seasonal: Ancona,[100] Lille,[citation needed] Marseille,[citation needed] Olbia,[citation needed] Verona[citation needed]
Vueling[101] A Coruña, Algiers, Alicante, Almería, Amsterdam, Asturias, Athens,[102] Banjul, Bari, Basel/Mulhouse, Beirut (suspended), Berlin,[103] Bilbao, Billund, Birmingham, Bologna, Bordeaux, Brussels, Cagliari, Cairo, Catania, Copenhagen, Dakar–Diass, Dublin, Düsseldorf,[104] Edinburgh,[105] Florence, Fuerteventura,[106] Geneva, Genoa, Granada, Gran Canaria,[107] Hamburg,[108] Hannover, Ibiza, Istanbul,[109] Jerez de la Frontera, Lanzarote, La Palma, Lisbon,[110] London–Gatwick,[111] London–Heathrow,[112] Lyon, Madrid, Málaga, Malta, Manchester, Marrakesh, Marseille, Menorca,[113] Milan–Malpensa,[114] Munich,[115] Nantes,[116] Naples, Nice, Nuremberg, Oslo, Palermo, Palma de Mallorca,[117] Paris–Charles de Gaulle,[118] Paris–Orly, Porto, Prague, Rome–Fiumicino, San Sebastián, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Seville,[119] Stockholm–Arlanda, Stuttgart, Tangier, Tel Aviv (suspended),[120] Tenerife–North,[121] Tenerife–South, Turin, Valencia, Venice, Vienna, Vigo, Zürich
Seasonal: Amman–Queen Alia,[citation needed] Bastia,[citation needed] Bergen,[citation needed] Comiso,[122] Dubrovnik,[citation needed] Faro,[citation needed] Helsinki,[citation needed] Heraklion,[citation needed] Mykonos,[citation needed] Olbia,[citation needed] Oran,[123] Reykjavík–Keflavík,[citation needed] Rovaniemi,[124] Sal,[citation needed] Santorini,[citation needed] Split,[citation needed] Tromsø,[125] Tunis[citation needed]
WestJet Seasonal: Calgary[citation needed]
Wizz Air Belgrade, Bucharest–Otopeni, Budapest, Cluj-Napoca, Gdańsk, Iași, Katowice, Kraków, Kutaisi, Milan–Malpensa,[126] Rome–Fiumicino, Sofia,[127] Timişoara, Tirana, Vienna, Vilnius, Warsaw–Chopin, Wrocław

Statistics

[edit]

Annual traffic

[edit]
Traffic by calendar year
Passengers Aircraft movements Cargo (tonnes)
2000 19,809,567 255,913 88,269
2001 20,745,536 273,119 81,882
2002 21,348,211 271,023 75,905
2003 22,752,667 282,021 70,118
2004 24,558,138 291,369 84,985
2005 27,152,745 307,798 90,446
2006 30,008,152 327,636 93,404
2007 32,898,249 352,501 96,770
2008 30,208,134 321,491 104,329
2009 27,311,765 278,965 89,813
2010 29,209,595 277,832 104,279
2011 34,398,226 303,054 96,572
2012 35,144,503 290,004 96,522
2013 35,216,828 276,497 100,288
2014 37,559,044 283,850 102,692
2015 39,711,276 288,878 117,219
2016 44,154,693 307,864 132,754
2017 47,284,500 323,539 156,105
2018 50,172,457 335,651 172,939
2019 52,686,314 344,558 177,271
2020 12,739,259 122,638 114,263
2021 18,874,896 163,679 136,107
2022 41,639,622 283,394 155,600
2023 49,883,928 316,682 156,523
Source: Aena Statistics[2]

Busiest routes

[edit]
Busiest european routes from BCN (2023)
Rank Destination Passengers Change 2022 / 23
1 Rome-Fiumicino 1,488,165 Increase 56%
2 Amsterdam 1,465,044 Increase 21%
3 London-Gatwick 1,277,506 Increase 27%
4 Lisboa 1,185,565 Increase 29%
5 Paris-Charles de Gaulle 1,120,863 Increase 1%
6 Paris-Orly 1,013,441 Increase 7%
7 Milan-Malpensa 995,972 Increase 25%
8 Frankfurt 821,091 Increase 5%
9 Munich 771,624 Increase 11%
10 Brussels 762,754 Increase 9%
11 London-Heathrow 752,539 Increase 35%
12 Vienna 697,103 Increase 22%
13 Zurich 678,638 Increase 21%
14 Porto 650,904 Increase 14%
15 Dublin 642,941 Increase 14%
16 Venice 553,866 Increase 20%
17 Berlin 538,499 Increase 20%
18 Geneva 517,907 Increase 11%
19 Manchester 506,353 Increase 31%
20 Istanbul 498,447 Increase 30%
Source: Estadísticas de tráfico aereo[128]
Busiest intercontinental routes from BCN (2023)
Rank Destination Passengers Change 2022 / 23
1 New York-JFK 493,572 Increase 11%
2 Dubai 423,050 Increase 24%
3 Doha 417,825 Increase 43%
4 Tel Aviv 367,305 Increase 37%
5 Tangier 240,213 Increase 34%
6 Bogotá 220,167 Increase 27%
7 Abu Dhabi 201,214 Increase 41%
8 Seoul-Incheon 195,828 Increase 311%
9 Marrakech 194,973 Increase 13%
10 Newark 187,391 Increase 27%
11 Buenos Aires-Ezeiza 180,227 Increase 25%
12 Toronto-Pearson 178,303 Increase 42%
13 Casablanca 171,803 Increase 27%
14 Miami 157,608 Decrease 6%
15 Montreal-Trudeau 147,311 Increase 55%
16 Atlanta 142,875 Increase 33%
17 São Paulo-Guarulhos 141,007 Increase 78%
18 Cairo 139,115 Increase 63%
19 Mexico City 136,884 Increase 14%
20 Chicago-O'Hare 131,742 Increase 104%
Source: Estadísticas de tráfico aereo[128]
Busiest domestic routes from BCN (2023)
Rank Destination Passengers Change 2022 / 23
1 Palma de Mallorca 2,282,343 Increase 12%
2 Madrid 1,933,711 Increase 13%
3 Ibiza 1,242,021 Increase 13%
4 Seville 1,012,437 Increase 9%
5 Málaga 933,709 Increase 21%
6 Menorca 933,050 Increase 12%
7 Bilbao 653,401 Increase 24%
8 Tenerife-North 630,428 Increase 8%
9 Gran Canaria 508,549 Increase 8%
10 Granada 452,394 Increase 14%
11 Alicante 432,573 Increase 18%
12 Santiago de Compostela 416,503 Increase 8%
13 Asturias 374,452 Increase 51%
14 Lanzarote 270,701 Increase 18%
15 A Coruña 261,791 Increase 7%
16 Vigo 249,168 Decrease 3%
17 Jerez de la Frontera 198,351 Steady 0%
18 Santander 158,929 Increase 7%
19 Fuerteventura 154,547 Decrease 4%
20 San Sebastián 141,547 Increase 38%
Source: Estadísticas de tráfico aereo[129]

Ground transportation

[edit]

Rail

[edit]

Train Terminal 2 has a Rodalies Barcelona commuter train station (on Line R2), with services every 30 minutes towards to Maçanet-Massanes, serving several stations in Barcelona City Centre including Barcelona Sants and Passeig de Gràcia, providing connections with the Barcelona Metro system and national and international high speed rail services. Rail passengers for Terminal 1 must take a connecting bus from Terminal 2B to Terminal 1.

As part of the major aforementioned airport expansion, a new shuttle train is being built to directly connect Terminal 1 to Barcelona Sants and Passeig de Gràcia, providing quicker and more frequent journeys between the airport and city centre. As of November 2023, this new line it is expected to be operational some time in 2026, six years later than originally anticipated.

Main article: Airport (Rodalies de Catalunya)

Metro Also this airport is linked to Barcelona by underground (metro) since 12 February 2016[130][131] by Line 9 of the Barcelona Metro with a station in each terminal, the Aeroport T1 station situated directly underneath the airport terminal T1 and the Aeroport T2 station close to the Aeroport rail station at the terminal T2. The line connects with several Barcelona Metro lines to the city center.

Main article: Barcelona Metro line 9

Road

[edit]

The C-32B highway connects the airport to a main traffic interchange between Barcelona's Ronda de Dalt beltway and major motorways. There is provision for parking cars at the airport, with about 24,000 parking spaces.

Bus

[edit]

The Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) public bus line 46 runs from Paral·lel Avenue. The Aerobús offers direct transfers from T1 and T2 to the city center at Plaça Catalunya. Another company offers transfers from Barcelona Airport to nearest airports like Reus Airport or Girona–Costa Brava, provincial and national capitals and links with France or Andorra.

Ride-hailing

[edit]

Since 2024, the Estonian ride-hailing company Bolt has operated exclusive pickup areas at the airport.[132][133]

Incidents and accidents

[edit]
  • On 16 May 1940, a Ala Littoria Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 Marsupiale crashed during takeoff because a ladder in the cargo compartment moved during takeoff and jammed the controls. All 8 occupants were killed.[134]
  • On 14 April 1958, an Aviaco de Havilland Heron crashed into the sea on approach to the airport because of a loss of control to avoid another aircraft taking off from BCN. All 2 crew and 14 passengers were killed.[135]
  • On 8 November 1960, an Iberia Airlines Lockheed 1049 Super Constellation (leased from TWA) was on final approach when the left main gear struck a small heap of rubbish short of the runway threshold, tearing off the wheels, the plane continued 170 m (560 ft) along the runway and swerved to the left and caught fire. All 71 passengers and crew survived, but the aircraft was written off.[136]
  • On 22 November 1974, a Cessna Citation I operated by Alpa Servicios Aereos crashed 3 km (1.9 mi) E of Barcelona Airport into the sea because of loss of control of the aircraft. All 3 occupants died.[137]
  • On 19 February 1998, both occupants died in an Ibertrans Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner plane crash in the borough of Gavà shortly after taking off from El Prat.[138]
  • On 28 July 1998, a Swiftair Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner crashed on approach, killing both crew members, because of speed reduction at low height, improper flap setting, and a feathered right propeller.[139]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "BOE.es – Documento BOE-A-2019-2943". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 April 2019. Modificar la denominación oficial del aeropuerto de Barcelona-El Prat, que en adelante pasa a denominarse «Aeropuerto Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat».
  2. ^ a b "Tráfico de pasajeros, operaciones y carga en los aeropuertos españoles" (PDF) (in Spanish). AENA. 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Spanish AIP (AENA)". Archived from the original on 7 March 2012.
  4. ^ "Presentación – Aeropuerto de Barcelona-El Prat – Aena.es". aena.es.
  5. ^ "Barcelona-El Prat Airport – Official website – Aena.es". www.aena.es. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  6. ^ Aena (ed.). "Aeropuerto de Barcelona-El Prat". Archived from the original on 21 November 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  7. ^ Eurocontrol basic Archived 17 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Eurocontrol.int. Retrieved on 4 October 2011.
  8. ^ "Air passenger transport in Europe in 2007". eurostat.eu. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Why the train in Spain is more popular than the plane". elpais.com. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  10. ^ "Barcelona-El Prat airport to be renamed Josep Tarradellas". 21 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Airline memorabilia: Alas de la República: CLASSA, LAPE (1934)". 14 April 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  12. ^ a b c "History – Barcelona–El Prat Airport". aena. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  13. ^ "IAG operará vuelos 'low cost' de largo radio desde El Prat a partir de junio". La Vanguardia. 22 December 2016.
  14. ^ "Continúan las cancelaciones en el Prat: estos son los aviones que se quedan en tierra hoy". El Confidencial (in Spanish). 15 October 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Las protestas independentistas colapsan los accesos al aeropuerto de El Prat". Canarias7 (in Spanish). Barcelona. EFE. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
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[edit]

Media related to Barcelona Airport at Wikimedia Commons
Barcelona El Prat Airport travel guide from Wikivoyage

Accident history for BCN at Aviation Safety Network

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