Gran Canaria Airport
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Airport, code LPA, is named after the Spanish province in which it is located and is 18 km south of the capital city of Las Palmas. It was formerly known as Gando Airport after the bay beside which it was built. It is an important international hub and is Spain’s fifth busiest airport. Not only is Gran Canaria a major holiday destination itself, but the airport provides connections to the smaller Canary Islands, West Africa, the Cape Verde Islands, the Azores and Madeira.
Fifty-four airlines operate from Gran Canaria to 142 destinations in twenty-five countries, with twenty-five new routes recently opened up. In 2016, the airport handled 12.1 million passengers, 112 thousand flight operations and 18.5 thousand tonnes of cargo. There is parking for sixty-six planes, fourteen with airbridges. The two parallel Cat 1 runways are 3,100 metres, enabling the airport to handle some of the larger commercial aircraft.
The airport operates twenty-four hours a day throughout the year and, with the island’s ideal weather conditions, the airlines are guaranteed to be able to operate without the adverse conditions found elsewhere in the Canary Islands.
The Terminal Building and Facilities
There is one main building that is spread over three floors and divided into three terminals, A, B and C. Terminal A is for flights from Spain and the EU, Terminal B handles inter-island flights and Terminal C is for non-EU flights.
The airport has four check-in areas with 110 check-in desks and 4 self-service kiosks, and there are 49 boarding gates and 22 baggage carousels. There are 13 food and drink outlets with restaurants, cafés, take away, fast food and bars, along with 25 shops. These include the duty-free facility, a pharmacy, gift shops, jewellers, a newsagent and fashion outlets.
A free Wi-Fi service is available throughout the terminal and there are internet access points. In addition, there are banking facilities, currency exchange, post office, assistance for people with reduced mobility (PRM) or special needs, a lost & found office, first aid facilities, passenger information desks and a chapel. A conference hall is available to hire for receptions, courses and business meetings.
Transportation
Getting to and from the airport is easy. There are numerous public transportation options available, including buses and taxis, as well as car hire services.
- Buses - Eight bus routes operate between the airport terminal, Las Palmas, the island’s main tourist resorts and local inland towns. There are connections to other locations at the bus station in the capital. Click here for details.
- Taxis - Licenced taxis are readily available at the taxi rank outside the terminal and can take you anywhere on the island. There are also private companies offering transfers to the main tourist resorts. These usually have to be booked in advance. You can find more information and the rates here.
- Trains - There is no rail network on the island.
- Car Rental - There are eight car rental agencies with desks inside the terminal with a wide variety of vehicles available to suit your needs. Click here for more details.
If you are driving yourself, the short-term car park, which is a short walk from the terminal, is set over three floors and all spaces are covered. The long-stay car park is a four-minute walk from the terminal. The total capacity is 3,545 vehicles.
History
After the first world war, the French and Spanish governments granted clearance to establish an air route between France and their colonies in Africa and South America. In the early 1930s, Gando was declared a national airport and became the main route between Madrid and the Canary Islands. The first passenger flight landed in 1933.
The passenger terminal was built between 1944 and 1946 and the airline offices, which had been previously located in the military facility, were transferred and civil and military activities were separated. In 1946 the airport was opened to all domestic and international air traffic.
There have been many improvements over the years. The runway was extended to 2,000 metres in 1957 and then to 3,100 metres in 1960. A new control tower was built in 1966 and in 1970; work began on the new passenger terminal. In 1980, the second runway was opened which significantly increasing passenger traffic.
The most recent improvements included extensions to the check-in and arrivals areas, the installation of new airbridges, the extension of the car park and work on the access roads.
The airport now has the capacity to deal with over 15 million passengers every year.
The Environment
Gran Canaria Airport has a palm grove of 3,500 trees and there is a natural barrier around the airport made up of the native casuarina pines. The barrier helps to stop the encroachment of the sand dunes and also reduces the noise pollution in the neighbouring urban areas.
Contact Information
Ctra. General del Sur,
35071 Gando/Telde,
Gran Canaria (Las Palmas)
Telephone: (+34) 902 40 47 04 / (+34) 91 321 10 00
Email: lpainfo@aena.es