Reus Airport
| Reus Airport Aeroport de Reus |
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IATA: REU – ICAO: LERS
 REU
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Aena | ||
| Location | Reus | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 71 m / 233 ft | ||
| Coordinates | 41°08′51″N 001°10′02″E / 41.1475°N 1.16722°E | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 07/25 | 2,459 | 8,068 | Asphalt |
| Source: Spanish AIP at EUROCONTROL[1] | |||
The Reus Airport (IATA: REU, ICAO: LERS) is located by the beaches of Costa Daurada, equidistant in relation to the town of Constantí and the city of Reus and approximately 7.5 km (4.7 mi) from the city of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain.
The airport receives a large amount of tourist traffic from passengers destined for the beach resorts of Salou and Cambrils. It is also close to one of Europe's largest theme parks, PortAventura. In addition, passengers travel to the Mountains of Prades, a Mediterranean forest in the comarca of Baix Camp. The Priorat, a neighboring region, is known for the quality of its wines.
A recent influx of flights has led to a dramatic increase in passenger numbers at the airport. In 1995, approximately 500,000 passengers passed through the airport. In 2004 this number more than doubled to 1.1 million and in 2005 it reached 1.4 million.
The airport is now a Ryanair base (since October 2008) although for the Winter 2009–2010 season Ryanair reduced the number of flights and destinations from Reus by a substantial amount. This reduction was only temporary for the winter months and a full flight programme recommenced late March 2010.
The increase in passenger numbers has necessitated several improvement projects at the airport. The new arrivals hall is fully operational, and the departures terminal building including the check-in area and lounge are now complete.
On 29 June 2011 Ryanair announced that their base would close on 30 October with the loss of 28 routes after failing to reach an agreement with the local Government. Ryanair will resume some flights in March 2012 but they will be operated by aircraft not based at Reus. [2]
Contents |
[edit] Ground Transportation
[edit] Bus
There are currently 4 bus routes from the Airport. One bus goes directly to Barcelona, another runs on circuit between the Airport - La Pineda - Salou - Cambrils and back to the airport again. The third route goes directly into Tarragona City. There is a local-route towards Reus downtown with some stops in the way.
The bus timetables vary slightly throughout the year but the buses are laid on to coincide with the flight arrivals and departures. As there are only a limited number of flights arriving and departing each day, this system works quite well.
[edit] Parking
Car park P1 is for the rental cars, buses and Aena employees which has a capacity for 318 hire cars, 87 for employees and 26 for buses. Public car park P2 has a capacity of 513 including 15 for reduced mobility and is open to the public 24 hours a day.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| BMI | Seasonal Charter: Aberdeen, Glasgow |
| Finnair | Seasonal Charter: Helsinki |
| Flybe | Seasonal Charter: Edinburgh |
| Holidays Czech Airlines | Seasonal Charter: Dublin |
| Jet2 | Seasonal: Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne [begins 1 June] |
| Jetairfly | Seasonal: Brussels |
| Monarch Airlines | Seasonal Charter: Cork [begins 11 May], Shannon [begins 11 May] |
| Orbest Orizonia Airlines | Seasonal Charter: Derry [begins 4 May], Dublin [begins 4 May] |
| Ryanair | Seasonal: Birmingham, Bristol, Charleroi, Cork, Dublin, East Midlands, Eindhoven, Hahn, Leeds-Bradford [begins 30 March], Liverpool, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Manchester [begins 25 March], Prestwick, Weeze |
| Sky Work Airlines | Seasonal: Berne [begins 31 March] |
| Travel Service Airlines | Seasonal Charter: Belfast-International |
| Thomas Cook Airlines | Seasonal Charter: Belfast-International, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow-International, London-Gatwick, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium | Seasonal Charter: Belfast-City, Brussels |
| Thomson Airways | Seasonal Charter/Scheduled: Belfast-International, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Doncaster/Sheffield, Glasgow-International, London-Gatwick, London-Luton, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne |
[edit] Incidents and accidents
- On 20 July 1970, a Condor Boeing 737-100 (registered D-ABEL) which was approaching Reus Airport, collided with a privately owned Piper Cherokee light aircraft (registration EC-BRU) near Tarragona, Spain. The Piper subsequently crashed, resulting in the death of the three persons on board. The Condor Boeing suffered only minor damage, and there were no injuries amongst the 95 passengers and 5 crew members.
- In 1996, two powerful bombs placed by the Basque group Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA) in the airport left more than 30 people injured. That same day two other bombs exploded in two hotels located near the airport. [3]
- In 2004 a Swearingen Metro aircraft was to be repositioned to Barcelona Airport for maintenance work, but during takeoff, while accelerating 80 knots, the nose gear collapsed. The aircraft sustained serious damage to the fuselage, engines and the propellers.[4]
