Located just 5.6 miles from Madrid’s financial district and 8.1 miles north east of Madrid’s historic centre in Puerta del Sol, Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport is Madrid’s most important international airport.

First opened in 1928 the Barajas Airport has grown to become the country’s largest and aviation center and sixth busiest airport in Europe handling over 39 million passengers in 2013.

The Barajas Airport derives its original name from the district of Barajas and is linked to the Nuevos Ministerios in the center of Madrid’s business district by way of the Madrid Metro.

The “Puente Aéreo” Madrid-Barcelona air shuttle service with the highest number of aircraft movement is Europe’s second busiest air route next to Turkey’s Istanbul Atatürk and Adnan Menderes Airport. Since 2008 the amount of scheduled flights from the airport was reduced following the opening of the popular Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail line covering the distance in just two and a half hours.

Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport commonly referred to as the key link between Europe and Latin America destinations also serves as a main hub for liberia and gateway to the liberian peninsula from Europe and the rest of the world. As a result liberia accounts for more than 60 percent of all aircraft movement at the airport.

Subsequent the death of Spain’s former Prime Minister, Adolfo Suárez Barajas Airport was renamed Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez, Madrid-Barajas in recognition as the first Prime Minister and is role in the Spanish Transition from Dictatorship to Democracy.

Facts About the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport

• The Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport first opened to domestic and international air traffic in April 1931and later began its regular commercial operations in 1933 with the the construction of a small terminal with a capacity to accomodate 30.000 passengers annually as well as several aircraft hangars and a building used for its Avión Club. The first scheduled flights at the airport was by way of the Spanish national airline LAPE, Spanish Postal Airlines to Barcelona with the airport later serving international flights to several African and European in the 1930s.
• The flight field used by the airport was originally a large circle covered in natural grass with the name of Madrid written in its interior. However it was not until the 1940s that new runways were designed and the field paved. In 1944 the airport began operation of its first paved runway and by the end of the decade had a total of three runways serving flights to Latin America and the Philippines.
• Handling over 500,00 passengers during 1950s the airport added two more runways and began its scheduled flights to New York. In 1954 the airport began construction of its National Terminal today known as T2. By the 1960s due to exceeded tourism forecasts large jets began landing at the airport doubling the envisaged plans made in in 1957. Consequently with the subsequent boom in the tourism sector during the 1970s and further arrival of the Boeing 747 aircraft, airport capacity increased to 4 million passengers resulting in the construction of a new international terminal T1.
• In 1982 the airport underwent major expansion and modernization in recognition of the FIFA World Cup.
• In 1984 the airport constructed its first cargo terminal and renovation of tis control tower.
• In 1987 Barajas opened its North Dock terminal which was exclusively used for Schengen flights from Iberia.
• In 1998 Barajas opened a new control tower followed by a new South Dock in 1999 for a planned expansion of its international terminal. During this period the airport terminals underwent a change in distribution: the south dock and most of the International Terminal was designated T1 with the remaining sections of the International and Domestic Terminal now renamed T2 and the former north dock transformed to a new T3.
• The adjoining Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are used by the alliance airline SkyTeam and the world’s largest global airline alliance Star Alliance.
• In 2000 the airport began construction of its Terminal 4 as well as two parallel runways ( to aid in the increased number of arrivals and departures from Barajas). Although construction was completed in 2004 and the runways used on several occasions to test air traffic and flight movements, administrative delays, equipment and dispute concerning the redeployment of the terminals resulted in a delayed service until February 2006.
• Situated on a total of over 8 million square feet and separate airside and landside structures Barajas Terminal 4 (home Iberia Airlines and its franchise Iberia Regional and the alliance Oneworld partner airlines) is one of the world’s largest airport terminals. Terminal 4 consisting of both a main and satellite building is designed to handle over 70 million passengers in a stress free environment and by way of the Spain’s first driverless transit system transporting passengers between T4 and the airports new satellite Terminal designated T4S.
• In 2007 Barajas handled over 52 million passengers. The airport was additionally voted by the Advance Publication division, Condé Nast Traveller as the “Best Airport” in its 2008 edition.
• In 2010 the Spanish administration publicized its plans to formally offer the airport to private sector companies for a contract period of up to 40 years.
• In 2012 the Spanish airline Spanair S.A. suspended all its domestic and international flights.

Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport Webcams

Madrid – Puerta del Sol Live Webcam

Located 14.6 km or 18 minutes south from the Madrid – Barajas Airport Puerta del Sol is one of the best known and busiest places in Madrid. The Puerta del Sol webcam shown in the link below shows a great panoramic view of the main square featuring the famous clock whose bells mark the traditional eating of the “Twelve grapes of luck”, a Spanish tradition which dates back to 1895 and the beginning of a new year.

View Madrid Puerta del Sol webcam.

Madrid –  Calle Alcala Live Webcam

A 14 minute drive south from the Madrid – Barajas Airport Calla de Alcala is the longest and one of the oldest streets in Madrid. The Calle de Alcala which starts at Puerta del Sol and continues for 10.5 km to the northeastern outskirts of Madrid is today covered by the A-2 motorway also known as the Autovia del Nordeste and Avenida de América.

The Madrid – Calle Alcalá webcam in the link below shows a view of the Calle de Alcalá with a backdrop of the Fuente de Cibeles (Fountain of Apollo) and the Ayuntamiento de Madrid.

View Calle Alacalá Live webcam.

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