| Countries | Cities | Airport Names | IATA | |||||
Airport Search:  |
||||||||
Barcelona Airport
Airport Directory » Spain » Barcelona » Barcelona AirportBarcelona Airport (IATA: BCN, ICAO: LEBL), also known as El Prat, is the independent airport assisting Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is turn up 10 kilometre (6.2 mi) southwestward from the center of Barcelona, in El Prat de Llobregat.
The airport is the biggest in Catalonia and Spain's 2nd biggest behind Madrid Barajas Airport. It is a independent hub for Vueling Airlines and Clickair, and a focal point town for Spanair, Air Europa and Iberia Airlines. The airport primarily assists domestic, European and North African destinations. The airport is undergoing enlargement with the new southward depot (T1), anticipated to move into service in mid 2009.
In 2008, 30,208,134 riders used Barcelona Airport., a rebuff fall from 32,793,897 in 2007.
The Barcelona-Madrid air shuttle service, known as the "Pont Aeri" (in Catalan) or "Puente Aéreo" (in Spanish), literally "Air Bridge", is the world's busiest path, with the highest figure of voyage functioning (971 per hebdomad) in 2007. The schedule has been cut back since February 2008, when a Madrid-Barcelona high-speed railway line was opened, covering the distance in 2½ 60 minutes, and rapidly got popular.
History
Barcelona's 1st field, turn up at elevated railroad Remolar, set about functioning in 1916. However, it did not have good enlargement chances and so a new airport at El Prat opened in 1918. The 1st airplane was a Latécoère Salmson 300 which come from Toulouse. The airport was used as a ground by the Spanish Navy's Zeppelin fleet. Scheduled commercial service set about in 1927 with an Iberia service to Madrid.
In 1948, the 1st abroad service was functioned by Pan American World Airways to New York City, using a Lockheed Constellation. A new control tower was built in 1965 and the depot was reconstructed in 1968.
The airport underwent a major development in readying for the 1992 Summer Olympics with the building of a 2nd depot (projected by Ricardo Bofill).
A architectural plan for enlargement (Plan Barcelona) includes a 3rd depot construction (also planned by Ricardo Bofill) and control tower. An additional landing track (07R/25L) has been made. Once these developments are complete in the start of 2009 , the airport shall be capable of care 55 million riders each year (compared to 32.8 million riders in 2007). The airport is slated to spread out in area from 8.45 to 15.33 foursquare klicks (3.26 to 5.92 sq mi) by 2009. A further enlargement is planned to be complete by 2012, with a new artificial satellite depot which will raise the capacity to 70 million riders each year.
After back up a front in the airport for over 80 yr, Iberia will pull away all of its services to Barcelona (except Puente Aereo, Madrid-Barcelona-Madrid, which digresses and comes every 30 min.) in the springtime of 2008 and replace them with Clickair services, despite Barcelona being 1 of the airports with more turning potency in Europe. Instead Iberia programmes to present at smallest 4 new services to the Americas by 2008/2009 as a response to the great claim. Similarly it is after to use El Prat's new depot for the destinations to Asia which it desires to constitute by 2009. Although these new paths will also go forth also from Madrid, Iberia desires El Prat will get Spain's briny entrance to Asia (the market place which it does not yet have a right presence in), whilst Madrid focal points more on the Americas and Africa.
Transport
The airport is accessible by RENFE commuter railroad train on the R10 line, which runs from the Barcelona Estació de França depot, with major halts at Barcelona Sants railroad terminal and the somewhat central Passeig de Gràcia railroad terminal to furnish transport to the Barcelona Metro system. As division of the major enlargement above, a new railroad terminal shall be constructed nearby, linking the airport to the Spanish AVE web, and to both Line two and Line nine of the Barcelona Metro.
The Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) public passenger vehicle on line 46 runs every 25 min. from Plaça Espanya. A scheduled private bus line (Aerobús) from Plaça Catalunya, halts at Sants and Plaça d'Espanya. Taxi halts are available at each depot. The C-32B main road plugs in the airport to a independent traffic interchange between Barcelona's Ronda de Dalt ring road and major state highway.
Original article.