Sabadell Airport is an aerodrome that handles General Aviation traffic and VFR flights. Seventy per cent of the airport's activity is dedicated to the classes run by the four aeroplane and helicopter pilot schools. The remaining thirty per cent is divided between publicity flights, photography and air taxis, private flights and government flights.

In addition to the schools offering courses for prospective airline pilots, there are two flight attendant schools which offer courses leading to the Passenger Cabin Crew.

In 2005, Sabadell managed 43,814 aircraft movements.

History

In 1910, after the first motorised flight was made in Barcelona, Sabadell also became interested in aviation and various enthusiasts from the Catalan city decided to organise an aeronautic exhibition at the Catalan Centre. The mayor of Sabadell asked the Association of Air Locomotion (ALA) to visit the city in order to set up an aerodrome. The commission visited the city but the project was taken no further.

In 1919, the first aeroplane operation took place in Sabadell. The Catalan pilot, Manel Colomer, made an emergency landing in the high part of the city, known today as Creu Alta. One week later, pilots Joseph Canudas and Manel Colomer decided to thank the city of Sabadell for its hospitality and flew to the city in two aeroplanes - a TH-E-3 Alfaro and a TH-E-2 Alfaro,- landing on the Can Diviu estate, the current site of the airport.

Between 1925 and 1927, the first airfield was built to the northeast of the city, on land called Can N’Oriac. Pilot Joan Bonamusa began to use this land with his Harriot biplane and other gliding enthusiasts from Sabadell followed suit. On the 2nd August 1931, at the Festa Major de Sabadell (annual local festival) the first air show was held in Camp N’Oriac in collaboration with the Town Hall and Naval Aeronautics.

These events led a group of enthusiast to set up the Flying Club of Sabadell del Vallés, whose first chairman, Antonio Campmajó, took over the old project of building a new and larger aviation field. The city mayor, Salvador Ribé, showed much interest in the project and in 1932 offered the land necessary for the establishment of an aviation field to the Ministry of War. On the 25th September 1932, the government authorised the Ministry of War to accept this land, and other land located on the Can Diviu, Can Torres and Can Miró estates was selected. In 1933, the Major of Engineers, Miguel Ramírez de Cartagena, designed the technical project and, after levelling the land, the Sabadell Flying Club organised a great air show on the 4th of August.

The aerodrome opens to traffic

On the 1st August 1934, the aerodrome at Sabadell was officially opened to military and civil aviation. The III Glider Week was held from the 12th to the 19th August, organised by the Catalan Federation of Sailing, in which 36 aircraft participated. At the beginning of the Civil War, the workshops of Naval Aeronautics were installed at Sabadell, in which the first 230 Polikarpov I-15 aeroplanes of a series of 300 were built. The remaining aeroplanes were finished after the war in a site known as the Temporary Station of Sabadell, where airforce I-15 were checked and repaired until the fifties.

In 1949, the International Air Show was held at Sabadell Aerodrome. In 1953, the Barcelona-Sabadell Flying Club was established there. This club was formed by the merger of the Barcelona and Sabadell flying clubs, and from then on, aeronautic activity became more significant. In 1954, the Air Ministry officially accepted the aerodrome with an extension of 76 hectares. At first the field only handled military aviation. To this end, two hangars, a workshop for repairs, warehouses, fuel tanks, accommodation for officers and troops and a main building with a control tower were built.

In 1963, the aeronautical easements were established and later modified in September 1964 when the 12-30 runway became operational.

On the 1st January 1979, Sabadell aerodrome opened to domestic and international air traffic.

Sabadell Airport - AENA airport

Address:

Ctra. de Bellaterra s/n 08205 Sabadell/Barcelona

Telephone: 937 282 100

Fax: 937 282 105

URL: http://www.aena.es/sabadell

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

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