Barajas International Airport

The Barajas International Airport welcomes all international flights arriving in Madrid. It is situated 13 kilometres at the northeast of the capital. This short distance means that travellers can save considerable time and money while coming and going to the airport.

Madrid Barajas Airport, from which over 100 airline companies from various countries operate, has the highest level of air traffic in Spain and is amongst the top five in Europe.

Torrejón Airport, not far from the capital, also receives some private flights, particularly air taxis. National airlines using this airport include, Iberia, Air Europa, Air Nostrum, and Spanair. You can book your cheap flight to Madrid airport at lastminute.com, who have the latest and best flight deals to Madrid, flying with all the major airlines, from all the major UK airports.

Barajas currently has three operative terminals. In 2005 a new terminal should come into use that will enable the number of passengers to be doubled. This means that instead of the 35 million passengers per year that Barajas currently registers, the number could rise to 70 million.

Terminal 1 (T1) is the base for international flights; Terminal 2 (T2) is for flights operated by the Spanish national airline Iberia to and from those countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement; while Terminal 3 (T3) is for domestic flights.

All manner of services are available amongst the airport facilities: children’s area, cafeterias and restaurants, chemists, post office, banks, car hire companies, bookshops and newspaper kiosks, various kinds of shops, car parks, emergency area, medical service, police station and nearby

How to reach the Madrid airport

Metro: Line 8 links Barajas with Nuevos Ministerios (where there are also several check-in desks for all flights, except the Iberia Madrid-Barcelona Air Shuttle). A single ticket costs 1.30 euros and a ten-journey ticket costs 5.80 euros. The Metro station can be found in Terminal 2.

Bus: Line 89 runs from Madrid airport to central Plaza Colón every 10 or 15 minutes, from 4.45am until 11pm. Cost: 2.50 euros.

Taxi: To take a taxi, you need to go to the appropriate taxi rank. No attention should be paid to the unofficial taxi drivers offering their services from within the terminals. The taxi driver should set the taxi meter running at the start of the journey. The normal rate from the airport to the centre of Madrid is around 20 euros.

Car: There are highway links between Barajas Airport and the main Madrid ring roads and access roads. The airport can be reached along various routes:

From the city centre and the M-30 ring road: via the A-2 or N-II (the motorway to Barcelona), taking the airport exit at kilometre marker 12.

From the M-40 ring road: exits 3 and 9 connect with the M-11 and the N-100 respectively, which lead directly to the terminals.

Car parks: Barajas Airport has over 10,000 parking spaces. There are five public parking areas: car parks P1 and P2 (located at terminal buildings T1 and T2), have 2,392 and 4,600 spaces respectively; the express car park, for short stays, has 39 spaces; the VIP car park (reservations should be made by telephone on 902 102 020) has 162 spaces; and there is also a long stay car park with 2,866 spaces.

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