Madrid-Barajas airport is strategically located in the centre of Spain, 12 km from the centre of Madrid. No other European capital has an international airport so close to its urban centre, making things more convenient for travellers, saving them time and money on their journeys.

Madrid-Barajas is one of the major driving forces in the Community of Madrid, since it stimulates the entire regional economy, facilitating the growth of companies and an increase in tourism.

To modernise and prepare Madrid-Barajas airport for the future air transport demand, important infrastructure and services projects have been put in work (Plan Barajas), both at the New Terminal Area, and on the airfield, with two new runways and other relevant infrastructures.

With its expansion, Madrid-Barajas will become one of the most important European hub airports, especially as a connection platform between Latin America and Europe. This will provide exceptional connectivity, the number of possible destinations will be increased and the social and economic prospects will grow.

In 2005, the airport processed 42,146,784 passengers, 415,704 operations and 333,137 tonnes of cargo.

Madrid Barajas Airport is the main airport for Madrid, there are 2 others, Madrid Torrejon & Madrid Cuatro Vientos but they are of little importance to visitors of Spain. Madrid Barajas is located just 13km (8 miles) northeast of Madrid.

Madrid International Airport (Barajas) is a major International Airport handling over 40,000,000 (40 Million) passengers in 2005.

Covering the airport as a whole and Madrid International Airport (Barajas) Terminal 1, Madrid International Airport (Barajas) Terminal 2, Madrid International Airport (Barajas) Terminal 3 and some information on the new terminal 4 at Madrid International Airport (Barajas) individually we believe that we have compiled the greatest resource on Madrid International Airport (Barajas) that there is.

If you are driving we supply you with Madrid International Airport (Barajas) driving directions to and from Madrid International Airport (Barajas) along with information on the different kind of Madrid International Airport (Barajas) parking that is available when you get there.

Further Madrid International Airport (Barajas) Information

With regards the Community, Madrid International Airport (Barajas) generates more than 2,900 million euros a year, creates over 170,000 jobs (8.9 % of the employment of the region) and contributes to Madrid approximately 10,000 million euros of the Gross Regional Product (13 % of the wealth produced a year in the region).

Today, Madrid International Airport (Barajas) has nearly one hundred shops, more than 30 cafeterias and restaurants, different banking entities, travel agents, and tour operators offering on basis their products and services to more than 40 million potential clients.

Madrid International Airport (Barajas) has seven meeting rooms, an auditorium with the required material for presentations, a modern business centre, and a press room for holding press conferences. In addition, passengers travelling on business have at their disposition an information office for "Ifema-Feria de Madrid" and the Madrid Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

For more information about the Madrid International Airport (Barajas) meeting rooms, call the following Madrid International Airport (Barajas) telephone numbers:(0034) 913 936 797 / 913 936 808. In Spanish the airport is known as Aeropuerto de Madrid.

History

In 1928, the Spanish government proposed establishing an air transport network in Spain centred in Madrid. To do so, the capital needed a large airport to replace the Getafe and Carabanchel airports, used by UAE and Iberia airlines for their Seville and Barcelona routes, respectively.

Of the plots of land offered, a barren wasteland of some 500 "fanegas" (approximately 330 hectares) was selected near the town of Barajas, due to its connections to the capital on the motorway to France and the complete lack of obstacles and inhabited areas nearby. The airport was designed by the architect Luis Gutiérrez Soto and the engineer Marqués de los Álamos.

The airport opened for air traffic on 22 April 1931. Towards the end of 1933, Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas (LAPE) began commercial operations there with its Barcelona route. The first international flights began in the 1930s.

On the dirt airstrip, a large white circle with the name of Madrid inside served as a guide for the pilots. The landing area was made up of compact soil covered with grass. The single passenger terminal was soon joined by the Flying Club building and several hangars to protect the few aeroplanes that spent the night there.

In the 1940s, the grass was replaced with pavement and new runways were planned for operations with any wind directions. The first paved runway, in 1944, was 1,400 metres long by 48 metres wide. By the end of the decade, the airport had three runways.

Half a million passengers in the 1950s

In the 1950s, Madrid-Barajas increased the number of runways to five, becoming one of the most complete airports in Europe with over half a million passengers each year. In 1954, Iberia's first Superconstellation took off from the airport on the Madrid–New York route. In 1957, the Airport Plan determined the landing and parking rights for the national airports and classified Madrid-Barajas as category one.

Large jets began landing at Madrid-Barajas in the 1960s, and traffic growth, due primarily to tourism, far exceeded expectations. At the beginning of the decade, there were 1.2 million passengers, twice the number forecasted in the 1957 Airport Plan.

The arrival of the large jets made it necessary once again to adapt the runways and reduce their number. The goal was to build just two crossed runways, a process that began in 1965.

The Air Shuttle

In the 1970s, which began with the arrival of the Jumbo jets, the barrier of 10 million passengers annually was exceeded, coinciding with the opening of the new international terminal. The Madrid–Barcelona air shuttle service began with the "arrive and fly" concept.

The domestic terminal was renovated in the early 1980s, with 1982 (the year that Spain hosted the football world cup) representing a milestone in investments in the Madrid airport.

Madrid-Barajas began the 21st century with the largest expansion in the history of the airport, with the construction of a new terminal area (T4 and T4S), two new runways and other important infrastructures. The inauguration took place on 5 February 2006.

Madrid International Airport (Barajas) - AENA airport

Address:

Madrid Barajas Airport

28042 Madrid - Spain

Airport Code: MAD

Terminals1,2 & 3

Telephone: (0034) 913 936 000
913 058 345
913 058 343
902 353 570

E-mail: clientesmad at aena es

URL: http://www.aena.es/madrid-barajas

AENA accepts no responsibility for the information posted at this site neither for the possible damages caused for the use of this information.

Runway 15R/33L

13451 x 197 feet
4100 x 60 meters

Runway 15L/33R

11483 x 197 feet
3500 x 60 meters

Runway 18R/36L

14272 x 197 feet
4350 x 60 meters

Runway 18L/36R

11483 x 197 feet
3500 x 60 meters

Navaids

Navaids

Madrid International Airport (Barajas) - AENA airport

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2006.
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