Madrid Airport

Madrid Airport Guide

Madrid Barajas is the main Spanish Airport located just 12km (8 miles) north east of the city centre. It is the busiest airport in Spain, last year handling over 46 million passengers with 366.605 flight operations.

The two other airports you might see listed are Madrid Torrejon and Madrid Cuatro Vientos but they are used mainly by civil aircraft, flying school operations, government services and companies specialising in aerial services.

Madrid has four terminals with the newest Terminal 4 one of the largest passenger terminals in the world located quite a way from the other three (about a 10 minute journey) connected via a shuttle bus service. All of the terminals have bus stops outside the arrivals areas with several bus and coach lines running into Madrid City Centre and nearby towns and cities.

There are also taxi ranks or a metro train service line 8 which operates from the lower ground floor of T2 (with access to T1,T2 and T3) and on Floor -1 of T4 running to Nuevos Ministerios station in central Madrid (journey time is around 14 minutes). There is another train line which connects T4 Terminal with Madrid: Nuevos Ministerios, Chamartin, Principe Pío & Atocha.

There are a number of car hire firms which advertise that they operate out of Madrid Barajas, but if you do not want to get a connecting shuttle bus to pick your car up from off the airport then make sure you choose one of the five rent a car agencies who have desks in the terminal buildings.

Another alternative is to pre-book a private transfer where a driver is waiting for you in the arrivals hall to take you to your next destination.

Madrid-Barajas Airport offers flights connecting Europe and Central and South America. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 serve mainly English, low-cost and domestic airlines while Terminal 4 services its principal carrier Iberia (which is responsible for 60% of the traffic), Air Nostrum and international airlines.

It is a great airport to travel through if you have a stop-over with lounges offering business services , internet access and refreshments with shower faciities also available.

Because Madrid City is close to the airport and only a short flight away from the UK (just over two hours) with a good choice of airlines, it's a great place for a weekend break with lots to see and do and some amazing food on offer. But be warned that the locals tend to eat very late so don't be surprised if the restaurants don't start filling up until around 10:00 pm.

By Linda Craik Google+