Description
Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, commonly known as Madrid–Barajas Airport, is the main international airport serving Madrid in Spain. At 3,050ha in area, it is the largest airport in Europe by physical size along with Paris–Charles de Gaulle Airport. In 2015, almost 47 million passengers used Madrid–Barajas, and this grew to 50.4 million in 2016 making it the country's largest and busiest airport, and Europe's sixth busiest.The airport opened in 1928, and has grown to be one of the most important aviation centres of Europe. Located within the city limits of Madrid, it is just 9km from the city's financial district and 13km northeast of the Puerta del Sol, Madrid's historic centre. The airport name derives from the adjacent district of Barajas, which has its own metro station on the same rail line serving the airport. Barajas serves as the gateway to the Iberian peninsula from the rest of Europe and the world, and is a particularly key link between Europe and Latin America. The airport is the primary hub and maintenance base for Iberia. Consequently, Iberia is responsible for more than 60 percent of Barajas' traffic. The airport has five passenger terminals named T1, T2, T3, T4 and T4S.HistoryEarly yearsThe airport was constructed in 1927, opening to national and international air traffic on 22 April 1931, although regular commercial operations began two years later. A small terminal was constructed with a capacity for 30,000 passengers a year, in addition to several hangars and the building of the Avión Club. The first regular flight was established by Lineas Aéreas Postales Españolas (LAPE) with its line to Barcelona. Later, in the 1930s international flights started to serve some European and African destinations.
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