Faro Airport
Faro International Airport (Portuguese: Aeroporto de Faro, IATA: FAO, ICAO: LPFR), officially Faro - Gago Coutinho International Airport (Aeroporto Internacional de Faro - Gago Coutinho ), is located four kilometres (two nautical miles) west[7] of the city of Faro in Portugal. The airport opened in July 1965[8] being the main gateway to Faro District (the year-round resort region of the Algarve) and southwestern Spain, with nine million passengers using the facility in 2019. Since 2022, it is named after Gago Coutinho, Portuguese geographer, cartographer, naval officer, historian and aviation pioneer.
Faro Airport Aeroporto Internacional de Faro | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||
| Owner | Public, operated by Vinci Group | ||||||||
| Operator | ANA Aeroportos de Portugal | ||||||||
| Serves | Faro, Algarve, Portugal | ||||||||
| Focus city for | |||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 7 m / 24 ft | ||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°00′52″N 007°57′57″W / 37.01444°N 7.96583°W | ||||||||
| Website | ana.pt | ||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
LPFR Location within Portugal | |||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||
| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||
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History edit
Faro International Airport is located 4 km from Faro, the capital city of Algarve in Portugal. Situated in the southern coast of Portugal, the airport was constructed during the 1960s and inaugurated in 1965. The Portuguese Government is the owner of Faro airport although, in the 2010s, the administration was granted to Vinci Group, company winning the privatization of the portuguese airports operator - ANA Aeroportos de Portugal -which has been its operator. Along with the airports in Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada, Santa Maria, Horta, Flores, Madeira, and Porto Santo, the airport's concessions to provide support to civil aviation were conceded to ANA Aeroportos de Portugal on 18 December 1998, under provisions of decree 404/98. With this concession, ANA became responsible for the planning, development and construction of future infrastructure.[9]
Since its opening in 1966 to the 2000s, Faro airport has had two major developments: the new passenger terminal building in 1989, and its enlargement in 2001. Faced with growing traffic demand and passenger safety and satisfaction needs, the development plan for 2009–2013 saw Faro airport undergo extensive improvements to runway and infrastructure, as well as a widespread renovation of the airport terminal and commercial areas.[10] The airport authority announced an expansion programme for Faro airport in February 2010. Phase I of the expansion started in 2010 and was completed by 2011. Phase II began in 2011 and was completed by 2013. Faro International Airport handled 5,447,200 passengers and recorded 39,789 aircraft movements in 2008. When the Phase II expansion was completed, the annual capacity of the airport increased from six million to eight million passengers. Passengers handled per hour increased to 3,000, the number of aircraft handled per hour increased to 30, and aircraft parking bays increased from 22 to 33. Additional shops and waiting areas were constructed as part of the expansion. In Phase I, new aircraft stands and taxiways were planned to be constructed. A new instrument landing system (ILS) was installed at the runway along with the installation of a glide reflection mirror. The security area at the runway was also expanded. Phase II involved the renovation of the passenger terminal and the improvement of the landside access.[11]
As of 2019, Faro Airport is capable of handling nine million passengers a year. There are 22 stands of which 16 are remote, with 60 check-in desks and 36 boarding gates.[12]
In June 2022 it was announced that the airport would carry Gago Coutinho's name in honour of the navigator and admiral who, in 1922, together with the aviator Sacadura Cabral, accomplished the First aerial crossing of the South Atlantic in the seaplane Lusitânia, named after the Roman Empire name for what would become Portugal.[13] The airport name became official in September 2022. At the same time it was announced the commissioning of a solar power plant with a capacity of 3MWp, enabling to produce 30% of the airport's electricity needs, reducing CO2 emissions by more than 1,500 tonnes per year.[14]
Airlines and destinations edit
The following airlines operate regular scheduled direct passenger flights at Faro Airport:
Statistics edit
Passenger numbers edit
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Passengers | % Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4,579,459 | ||
| 2002 | 4,706,432 | 2.8% | |
| 2003 | 4,696,100 | 0.2% | |
| 2004 | 4,658,189 | 0.8% | |
| 2005 | 4,754,508 | 2.1% | |
| 2006 | 5,089,733 | 7.1% | |
| 2007 | 5,470,712 | 7.5% | |
| 2008 | 5,447,200 | 0.4% | |
| 2009 | 5,062,214 | 7.1% | |
| 2010 | 5,337,542 | 5.4% | |
| 2011 | 5,617,688 | 5.2% | |
| 2012 | 5,674,221 | 1.0% | |
| 2013 | 5,982,950 | 5.4% | |
| 2014 | 6,168,868 | 3.1% | |
| 2015 | 6,439,480 | 4.9% | |
| 2016 | 7,632,857 | 18.5% | |
| 2017 | 8,728,876 | 14.4% | |
| 2018 | 8,687,064 | 0.5% | |
| 2019 | 9,010,860 | 3.7% | |
| 2020 | 2,208,276 | 75.5% | |
| 2021 | 3,265,182 | 47.9% | |
| 2022 | 8,170,715 | 150.2% | |
| 2023 | 9,640,000 | 18.0% | |
| Jan–Feb 2024 | 651,000 | 8.8% | |
| Source: Pordata[58] Vinci[3] INE[59] | |||
Busiest routes edit
| Rank | City, airport | Passengers | % change | Top carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London-Gatwick | 714,769 | 0.3% | British Airways, easyJet, TUI Airways |
| 2 | Dublin | 538,500 | 2.3% | Aer Lingus, Ryanair |
| 3 | Manchester | 531,253 | 12.0% | easyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair, TUI Airways |
| 4 | London–Stansted | 400,723 | 8.6% | Jet2.com, Ryanair, TUI Airways |
| 5 | Bristol | 308,963 | 2.1% | easyJet, Ryanair, TUI Airways |
| 6 | Lisbon | 291,151 | 8% | TAP Air Portugal |
| 7 | Birmingham | 288,965 | 11.0% | Jet2.com, Ryanair, TUI Airways |
| 8 | London-Luton | 285,236 | 1.8% | easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air |
| 9 | Amsterdam | 258,293 | 6.7% | Corendon Dutch Airlines, Transavia |
| 10 | East Midlands | 255,516 | 3.2% | Jet2.com, Ryanair, TUI Airways |
Ground transport edit
Car edit
The airport is close to the A22 highway, with connections throughout the Algarve and direct to Lisbon and Spain. Faro airport has 3 different car parking areas. The closest parking area is called "Parking P0 / P1 – Classic", used for short-term visitors, while parking areas P2 and P3 are used for longer term car storage.[citation needed]
Kiss and Fly is the name for a form of fast parking at the airport.[61]
Bus edit
Airport bus routes 14 and 16 run each day between Faro Airport and Faro city centre bus station. From the bus station there are connections to most other Portuguese cities as well as to many Spanish destinations. The airport bus route is currently run by a company called "Proximo".
Railway edit
The nearest railway station is Faro which is about 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) away and is located close to Faro city centre bus station.[62] A study into a rail link to the airport was undertaken in 2018.[63]
Accolades edit
In 2012, Airports Council International gave Faro Airport the title of Best Improvement in Europe.[64][circular reference]
Accidents and incidents edit
- On 21 December 1992, Martinair Flight 495 sustained a hard landing in bad weather at Faro Airport, killing 54 passengers and two crew out of a total of 340 people on board.[65]
- On 24 October 2011, an overnight storm collapsed portions of terminal roofs and blew out most windows in the control tower. Four people were slightly injured, one severely.[66]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "EasyJet opens Faro summer base". Travel Weekly.
- ^ "Boletins Estatísticos Trimestrais" [Quarterly Statistical Bulletins]. ANAC (in Portuguese). Portuguese Civil Aviation Authority.
- ^ a b "Vinci Airports - Traffic 2023" (PDF). 16 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ Annual Report 2019 (PDF), Lisbon: ANA Aeroportos de Portugal, 28 January 2020
- ^ [Portuguese airports with the highest growth ever] (Press release) (in Portuguese). ANA Aeroportos de Portugal. 7 January 2016. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016.
- ^ . World Aero Data. WorldAeroData.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2004. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ AIP Part 3 – AD 2 Aerodromes 15 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "The history of Porto Airport - Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport". Porto-Airport-Car-Rental.com. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ "Faro International Airport Terminal Expansion". Airport Technology. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- ^ "Faro International Airport".
- ^ "anna.aero | Undergoing Maintenance". www.therouteshop.com.
- ^ "Faro Airport renamed". The Portugal News. The Portugal News. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ [1] Portugal might become the first country to have zero-emission airports, TheMayor.EU, TZVETOZAR VINCENT IOLOV, Retrieved 14.09.2022.
- ^ Liu, Jim. "Air France S20 Spain/Portugal network additions". Routesonline. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- ^ https://boardingpass.ro/animawings-va-opera-sase-rute-regulate-in-vara-anului-2024/
- ^ "Azores Airlines Plans June 2024 Ponta Delgada – Faro Launch". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Majorca and the Algarve – Direct from City of Derry Next Summer". 25 July 2023.
- ^ "Flying to Majorca from Guernsey | Flight information".
- ^ a b c "Sommer 2023: Condor plant einige neue Ferienstrecken ab Deutschland". 27 May 2022.
- ^ Sena, Gastón (22 April 2022). "Condor will have flights to Alicante and Faro". Aviacionline. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ "Condor schedule - summer 2023" (PDF).
- ^ a b "EASYJET NS23 NETWORK ADDITIONS SUMMARY – 30JAN23". Aeroroutes. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "EASYJET CELEBRATES FLYING THREE MILLION PASSENGERS TO AND FROM BHX AND LAUNCHES NEW SUMMER ROUTE TO FARO". Birmingham Airport.
- ^ "EasyJet adds new summer leisure flights from UK".
- ^ "News for Airlines, Airports and the Aviation Industry | CAPA".
- ^ "Eurowings NS24 Hanover / Nuremberg Network Expansion". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Iberia to increase its presence in Portugal during the summer". 29 April 2022.
- ^ "Jet2 unveils 11th base at Liverpool John Lennon Airport". Travel Weekly.
- ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/bournemouth-airport-jet2-tui-ryanair-b2518690.html
- ^ a b c d e "Ryanair abre 18 novas rotas em 2023 no Porto e em Faro devido a descida das taxas".
- ^ "Third Time Lucky? Ryanair Announces Belfast Base with 12 Routes". 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Rayanir website". Ryanair.com. [not specific enough to verify]
- ^ a b "Ryanair".
- ^ "Ryanair NW23 Network Changes – 17SEP23".
- ^ "Ryanair wznawia hitową trasę z Polski! Znów polecimy do bajecznej Portugalii".
- ^ "Ryanair NS23 Network Additions – 22DEC22".
- ^ "Ryanair wznawia hitową trasę z Polski! Znów polecimy do bajecznej Portugalii".
- ^ "Ryanair NW23 Network Changes – 17SEP23".
- ^ "Ryanair NW23 Network Changes – 17SEP23".
- ^ "Ryanair Morocco NS24 Network Expansion". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "Ryanair NW23 Network Changes – 17SEP23".
- ^ "Ryanair will fly to THREE new Mediterranean destinations from Norwich Airport". 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Ryanair NW23 Network Changes – 17SEP23".
- ^ "SAS S19 European network additions". Routesonline.
- ^ a b Liu, Jim. "Smartwings schedules seasonal routes from Poland in S19". Routesonline. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Swiss ouvre cinq routes estivales à Genève | Air Journal". www.air-journal.fr. 20 December 2018.
- ^ "Transavia vliegt komende zomer vanaf Brussels Airport - Travelpro". 21 December 2021.
- ^ "Transavia to link Faro and Nice this summer". 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Flight Timetable". tui.co.uk.
- ^ "Flight plan". tui.be.
- ^ "Volotea unirá este verano Loiu con la ciudad portuguesa de Faro y Santorini". 30 November 2022.
- ^ "La compagnie Volotea s'installe à Brest et promet 13 nouvelles lignes". 8 November 2023.
- ^ "Seven new routes from Lille Airport". 28 April 2022.
- ^ "Aéroport Strasbourg-Entzheim: Volotea va annoncer une nouvelle destination".
- ^ Eymery, Céline. "Volotea étoffe son programme depuis Ajaccio, Deauville et Toulouse". Tourmag.com, le Média Spécialiste du Tourisme Francophone. Tourmag.com. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ "Vueling anuncia una nueva ruta desde el aeropuerto de Bilbao a Faro el próximo verano". 21 December 2022.
- ^ "Tráfego de passageiros nos aeroportos: Lisboa, Porto e Faro". Pordata. 2023.
- ^ "Transporte de passageiros nos aeroportos nacionais mantém tendência crescente - Fevereiro de 2024". 15 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Eurostat Data Explorer". Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ Portugal, ANA - Aeroportos de (8 July 2016). "Kiss & Fly - Faro Airport". AeroportoFaro.pt. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps.
- ^ "Studies to be carried out on rail link to Faro Airport". The Portugal News. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ List of Airport Service Quality Award winners#5-15 million
- ^ "Final Report on the Accident Occurring at Faro Airport - Portugal on 21 December 1992" (PDF).
- ^ . portugaldailyview.com. 24 October 2011. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
External links edit
Media related to Faro Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- Accident history for FAO at Aviation Safety Network