Vigo-Peinador Airport

Vigo Airport Aeropuerto de Vigo Aeroporto de Vigo
IATA: VGO – ICAO: LEVX – LID: VGO Location of airport in Galicia
Summary
Airport type		Civil
Owner/Operator		AENA
Serves		Vigo
Location		Vigo, Spain
Elevation AMSL		261 m / 855 ft
Coordinates		42°13′45″N 008°37′39″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
02/20	2,400	7,874	Asphalt
Statistics (2008)
Passengers			1,278,762
Source: Spanish AIP at EUROCONTROL

Vigo Airport (IATA: VGO, ICAO: LEVX) is 8 km (5.0 mi) east from the centre of Vigo, and is situated in the municipalities of Redondela, Vigo and Mos, Spain. In 2010, 1.093.571 passengers and 901 tonnes of goods passed through the airport.

History

By 1927 the Spanish Government became aware of the necessity of having a customs airport in Galicia, and as a first step the harbour of Vigo was conditioned for hidroaviation in March 1929 and at the same time a "maritime airport" was built and started operations at nearby Cesantes beach; meanwhile the construction of a larger inland airport at Peinador was initiated. The Town Hall of Vigo underwent the construction with support from several local companies and industries but shortage of funds would have rendered the airport impossible to finish without the unselfish help of citizens from nearby Vigo and the towns of Lavadores and Mos, who provided services for free in many cases.

The neighbouring Santiago de Compostela Airport, also medium-sized, opened its first regular route with the capital Madrid in 1937; that fact severely hadicapped Vigo airport as its need was greatly reduced, and construction was almost halted. After years of bureaucratic struggle and negotiations from the City Hall of Vigo, the then called Ministerio del Aire fully assumed the construction, re-started in 1947 and completed in 1952. Operations started on 20 April 1954 with a 1,500-meter runway, with Iberia flying a regular route to/from Madrid with Douglas DC-3 aircraft. After a few months Iberia handed the route to Aviaco.

The 1970s increment of traffic led to a further development plan, including the construction in 1973 of a new control tower, a new passenger terminal in 1974, in 1975 an independent power plant and in 1976 the apron space and parking places were both increased and taxiways widened. A few years after the runway was lengthened so DC-9 series aircraft were able to use the airport. As a result, in November 1981 the airport had its first international flight to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Development

To adapt the Vigo airport to the future air traffic demands, Aena published an airport development project that will provide it with infrastructure and facilities with capacity to serve the passengers and aircraft with the highest level of quality and safety services.

In late May 2007, the Board of Aena awarded the construction of the "Vehicle Parking Building, Construction and Technical Block Vigo airport, Dragados SA for an amount of 38,266,145 euros and an execution period of 28 months.

After meeting in the summer of 2008 that would expand the airport terminal Vigo , and after more than a year of delays and conflicting information and would eventually expand the terminal , 24 February 2010, the Board of Directors approved at its meeting Aena the tendering of the works to expand the terminal with a budget of 59,393,578.76 euros. With this performance, the proposed work includes an extension and total refurbishment of the existing terminal building, which will rise from the current area of ​​8,200 square meters with a total area of ​​19,400. In addition, this extension will enable Peinador has a capacity of four million users.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Air Europa	Madrid
Air France operated by Régional	Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Iberia	Madrid
Iberia operated by Air Nostrum	Bilbao, Seville [ends 29 April], Valencia [ends 24 March]
Orbest Orizonia Airlines	Lanzarote, Tenerife South
Vueling	Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca Seasonal: London-Heathrow

External links

• Official website (English) (Spanish)