Barcelona Airport (BCN)

Officially known as Barcelona El Prat Airport, Catalonia’s main airport benefits greatly from its close proximity to the beautiful historic city of Barcelona, one of Europe’s most visited destination.

Located between 12 and 14 km (around 8 miles) from the city, Barcelona Airport serves the municipalities of El Prat de Llobregat, Sant Boi and Viladecans in the province of Catalonia.

Barcelona is the second largest airport in Spain after Madrid and serves as the principal airport in Catalonia province. Used as their main hub by low-cost carriers Vueling, Ryanair and Iberia Regional as well as being a major destination for airlines Iberia and Air Europa, Barcelona’s airport offers travellers international flight connections to Europe, North Africa, Latin and North America as well as Southeast Asia. Barcelona also provides domestic air travel to most parts of Spain. Other low-cost carriers operating from Barcelona are WizzAir and EasyJet.

Last year the airport served almost 34.5 million air passengers. Demand for air travel to and from Barcelona Airport increased by 17.8% in just one year from 2010 and with Spain expecting to welcome record numbers of tourists this year, the proportion of air passengers using Barcelona as their preferred port of entry is envisaged to go up further still.

As most other major airports in the country, Catalonia’s main airport is also managed by Aena. Inaugurated in 1918, Barcelona Airport has undergone many changes thanks to the increase in air traffic. A new control tower was opened in 2006 and a new Terminal 1 building opened in June 2009 on the western side of the airport, providing nearly 70% of all flights with a new passenger terminal. The old terminals A, B and C were refurbished and linked into becoming the new Terminal 2 building on the northern side of the airport.

In total there are 64 boarding gates and 268 check-in desks for passengers’ use. At present the airport has a capacity to handle up to 55 million flight passengers per annum, but a third satellite terminal is already under construction, which should eventually raise the capacity to 70 million passengers per annum.

The major routes used from this airport are Amsterdam, Paris, London, Rome, Munich and Frankfurt, Milan, Lisbon, Geneva and Zurich, Brussels, Vienna and Moscow. Intercontinental flight routes cover Bogota, Philadelphia and Miami, Toronto, Buenos Aires, Atlanta, New York, Tel Aviv, Sao Paulo and Singapore among others. International carriers using the airport are American Airlines, British Airways, Air France, KLM, Monarch, TAP Portugal, Alitalia, Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines among others.

At Terminal 1 passengers will find 168 check-in desks and 60 jet ways. There are also 15 baggage carousels and 10,900 parking spaces. A free shuttle bus takes passengers from Terminal 1 to the Barcelona airport train station. Eventually a brand new train station will serve passengers from Terminal 1 with the AVE network and Line 9 of the Barcelona Metro system.

At Terminal 2 there are another 8,779 parking spaces as well as 100 check-in desks. Terminal 2 also has its own train station, from where the Rodalies Barcelona commuter trains operate via line R2 Nord, leaving for Maçanet-Massanes train station with several major stops at Barcelona Sants train station and Passeig de Gràcia train station. From there passengers can change over the Barcelona Metro train system.

Bus services connect from Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) located at Plaça Espanya every 16 minutes to the airport (via line 46). A private bus operator also offers bus services from Plaça Catalunya via Aerobús, which stops to collect passengers at Urgell and Plaça Espanya.

There is a taxi rank located outside each terminal. Passengers with car hire requirements will find rental desks of car hire suppliers Avis, Europcar, Hertz, National Atesa and Sixt at the arrivals halls.

Barcelona airport is connected to the city via highway C-32B, which links into the main traffic interchange of Barcelona’s Ronda de Dalt beltway system and several major motorways that cover the Catalonia region and the rest of Spain.

Several bars, restaurants and snack bars offer refreshments to passengers waiting to board their flight. At Medas customers will be served delicious Mediterranean food using fresh local ingredients, while APTC offers international cuisine to its guests. Several cafes offer filled rolls and sandwiches for the smaller appetite.

Shopping facilities include Duty Free shops as well as tobacconists, fashion and accessories, leisure and entertainments, perfumery and cosmetics, lottery and pharmacy, gifts and items for the home, newsagents and multi-shops for those last minute necessities travellers need for their journey.

At Tuc Tuc, a unique area for passengers of all ages to relax and have fun, hairdressers provide not just a new hair style but also cater for tired passengers in search of a massage, facial or body treatments. Children have their own playground area at Tuc Tuc, where they can let off steam.

For more information about Barcelona Airport, please visit the official website at http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es.