La Palma Airport
I1 i3 i5
I8 i10 i12
The Santa Cruz de La Palma Airport is the international airport of to Spain politically and geographically to Africa belonging Canary Island of La Palma. The main carriers are Binter Canarias and Iberia.
Airlines and destinations
Iberia connects La Palma once daily with the Spanish capital Madrid. Binter Canarias connects La Palma daily with Tenerife and Gran Canaria and weekly with El Hierro and Lanzarote. The airport is also served daily by European charter airlines, mainly from Germany, England, Belgium and the Netherlands.
History
On February 19, 1921, the former company Marítimo Canaria received from the Department of Transportation approval to set up on the coast of Tazacorte an air traffic service. The early fifties, the plan was a new airfield. The selection of the place was difficult, however, because the island of La Palma is very mountainous and offers little flat area near the capital. So it was decided the airfield called Buenavista de Arriba, about three kilometers west of the capital Santa Cruz on height 400 meters to create. This airfield, with an approximately 1,000 meter long runway, was opened on September 22, 1955 for civil aviation and the first tourist flights. 1958 was the start and runway an asphalt surface in the direction of 03-21. It perverse aircraft of the type Junkers Ju 52/3m and Douglas DC- third From the old airport still exist the runway and the tower along with the airport building, which has since been converted to a private home. But there was no longer acceptable and this airfield due to the difficult wind and weather conditions, the new airport was near Mazo, about eight kilometers south of Santa Cruz, on April 15, 1970 opening. Due to the large volume of traffic, the runway was extended to 01-19 about 500 meters to the north. It was completed on April 1, 1980 and remained unchanged until today.
But this airport is located at a wind -prone location - on rare west wind weather conditions occur in a few days in case winds from the mountain slopes, where the air traffic must be set partly or even completely. One of the longest events of this kind in the period from 6 to April 10, 2008 fell from about three -quarters of all flight movements, some of the Airport was completely closed. Many charter flights were diverted to Tenerife South Airport. About 1,500 passengers had to use ferries or persevere in Tenerife and the other islands.
Present and future
In March 2005 we started with the expansion of the airport. The investment volume amounts to 103.9 million euros and should be finalized in the year 2012. There are plans to advance expansion to make way for the old terminal, a new control tower and a larger terminal building (Terminal ) with passenger boarding bridges and a capacity of up to three million passengers a year. It consists of eight levels with a total area about 95,000 square meters. On the top floor there are several restaurants and Departures. In the middle level, the arrival of the baggage claim area is located has five baggage carousels, also on this level 24 check-in desk, various shops and tour. In the lower levels there is a two -storey car park. The safety devices, such as the fire department, which is displaced from the terminal on the other side of the runway to a new building were extensively modernized. The airport also plans to build a hangar. On 6 July 2011, the new terminal was opened and initiated the demolition of the old building.
Photos
Interior view of new terminal, Level 1 with restaurants and safety check
General view from the north in 2004
Airbus A320 - 200 of Iberia rolls to the start, old terminal in the background
Playground within the old airport