// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Santiago Airport landing a good impression? Plane-ly.
Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport Aeropuerto de Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Aeroporto de Santiago–Rosalía de Castro | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public/military | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | AENA | ||||||||||
| Serves | Santiago, Spain | ||||||||||
| Location | Santiago de Compostela | ||||||||||
Focus city for | |||||||||||
| Built | 1932 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,213 ft (370 m) | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°53′47″N 08°24′55″W / 42.89639°N 8.41528°W | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  SCQ Location within Spain | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Statistics (2025) | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport (Galician: Aeroporto de Santiago-Rosalía de Castro, Spanish: Aeropuerto de Santiago-Rosalía de Castro) (IATA: SCQ, ICAO: LEST), previously named Lavacolla Airport and also known as Santiago de Compostela Airport, is an international airport serving the autonomous community and historic nationality of Galicia in Spain. It is the biggest and busiest airport in Galicia[2] and the second-busiest airport in northern Spain after Bilbao Airport. It has been named after the Galician romanticist writer and poet Rosalía de Castro, since 12 March 2020.[3]
The airport is located in the parish of Lavacolla, 12 km east of Santiago de Compostela and handled 3,640,664 passengers in 2024.
It is the focus city of Vueling in the northwest Iberian Peninsula. In July 2026, Wizz Air announced that it will open a base at the airport in February 2027, the airline's first in the Galicia–North Portugal Euroregion[1]
The Christian pilgrimage route of the Camino de Santiago runs near the airport.
History
[edit source]The airport was set up by a group of aviation enthusiasts in October 1932 and two months directors were chosen to select where the airport was going to be built. In 1935 construction work started at the airport where two years later on 27 September 1937 the first scheduled flight from Santiago de Compostela took place.[citation needed] After the Spanish Civil war, political prisoners held in the concentration camp of Lavacolla were forced to work in the construction of the airport.[4]
In 1969 a new terminal was built at the airport. It later underwent several expansions, including a remodeling in 1993.[citation needed]
In June 1980, Iberia launched a seasonal flight to New York City on a Boeing 747. This was Santiago de Compostela's first transatlantic route.[5][6] Four months later, Viasa added non-stop service to Caracas using McDonnell Douglas DC-10s.[5] In 1981, a cargo terminal was built, giving the airport capacity to handle cargo flights.[citation needed] Viasa shut down in 1997, but Avensa reinstated the route to Caracas in March 1999.[5][7] United resumed intercontinental flights to the Americas with a new route to Newark that started in May 2026.[8]
On 13 October 2011, a new passenger terminal opened at the airport.[9]
On 23 April 2026 through 27 May 2026 the airport was closed to all air traffic for major runway renovation.
Terminal
[edit source]The airport currently has one operating terminal. The old terminal at Santiago de Compostela airport opened in 1969 and was often expanded.[citation needed] The old terminal closed on the night of 13 October 2011 when operations transferred to the new terminal.[citation needed]
The new terminal at Santiago de Compostela Airport officially opened on 13 October 2011 and passenger operations transferred there the following day. It is adjacent to the old terminal and has a size of 74,000 sq m. It has 22 check-in desks, three security checkpoints, four baggage carousels, and 13 gates of which five have jet bridges. The baggage hall is split into two zones, one for Schengen Area flights and one for non-Schengen. It can handle as many as 4 million passengers per year.[10] The terminal is due to be expanded in the future. This includes adding another five jet bridges to five of the current gates, as well as three more baggage carousels and an expanded shopping area.[11]
Airlines and destinations
[edit source]The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport:
Statistics
[edit source]During the early 2000s, numbers increased significantly at the airport, from 1.24 million in 2002 to peak at 2.46 million in 2011. Because of the financial crisis in Spain, those numbers decreased to 2.1 million in 2014, with cargo decreasing significantly during that period. The Spanish economic recovery in the mid-2010s and the rise of Santiago de Compostela as an international destination are again increasing cargo and passenger numbers, breaking the 3 million passenger mark for the first time in 2022.[33]
Traffic figures by year
[edit source]| Passengers handled | Passengers % change | Aircraft movements | Aircraft % change | Freight (tonnes) | Freight % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,332,893 | - | 19,660 | - | 6,773 | - |
| 2001 | 1,281,334 |  3.86% | 19,084 | 2.92% | 6,228 | 8.04% |
| 2002 | 1,240,730 | 3.16% | 17.362 | 9.02% | 5,716 | 8.22% |
| 2003 | 1,381,826 |  11.37% | 18,454 | 6.28% | 5,318 | 6.96% |
| 2004 | 1,580,675 | 14.39% | 21,593 | 17.00% | 4,938 | 7.14% |
| 2005 | 1,843,118 | 16.60% | 25,693 | 18.98% | 3,805 | 22.94% |
| 2006 | 1,994,519 | 8.21% | 24,719 | 3.79% | 2,587 | 32.01% |
| 2007 | 2,050,172 | 2.79% | 24,643 | 0.30% | 2,749 | 6.26% |
| 2008 | 1,917,466 | 6.47% | 21,945 | 10.94% | 2,418 | 12.04% |
| 2009 | 1,944,068 | 1.38% | 20,166 | 8.10% | 1,988 | 17.78% |
| 2010 | 2,172,869 | 11.76% | 21,252 | 5.38% | 1,964 | 1.20% |
| 2011 | 2,464,330 | 13.41% | 22,322 | 5.03% | 1,787 | 9.01% |
| 2012 | 2,194,611 | 10.94% | 19,511 | 12.59% | 1,815 | 1.56% |
| 2013 | 2,073,055 | 5.53% | 18,688 | 4.21% | 1,929 | 6.28% |
| 2014 | 2,083,873 | 0.52% | 19,431 | 3.97% | 2,095 | 8.60% |
| 2015 | 2,296,248 | 10.20% | 20,540 | 5.70% | 2,311 | 10.10% |
| 2016 | 2,510,740 | 9.30% | 21,227 | 3.60% | 2,936 | 27.04% |
| 2017 | 2,644,925 | 5.34% | 21,520 | 1.38% | 2,693 | 8.28% |
| 2018 | 2,724,750 | 3.01% | 21,839 | 1.50% | 3,019 | 12.10% |
| 2019 | 2,903,427 | 6.56% | 22,396 | 2.55% | 3,201 | 6.02% |
| 2020 | 935,394 | 67.8% | 10,949 | 51.1% | 2,981 | 6.9% |
| 2021 | 1,653,821 | 76.8% | 15,375 | 40.4% | 4,938 | 65.6% |
| 2022 | 3,236,619 | 95.7% | 25,458 | 65.6% | 4,853 | 1.7% |
| 2023 | 3,537,445 | 9.2% | 25,903 | 1.7% | 4,818 | 0.7% |
| 2024 | 3,640,664 | 2.9% | 26,968 | 4.1% | 4,941 | 2.6% |
| 2025 | 3,120,759 | 14.3% | 24,837 | 7.9% | 3,733 | 25.6% |
Traffic figures by month
[edit source]| 2025 passengers | 2026 passengers | Passengers % change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 187,988 | 133,079 | 29.2 |
| February | 185,997 | 130,533 | 29.8 |
| March | 244,637 | 172,067 | 29.7 |
| April | 284,639 | 164,277 | 42.3 |
| May | 302,990 | 31,594 | 89.6 |
| June | 310,351 | 277,649 | 10.5 |
| July | 340,346 | 305,371 | 10.3 |
| August | 346,012 | - | - |
| September | 303,244 | - | - |
| October | 276,814 | - | - |
| November | 157,855 | - | - |
| December | 179,886 | - | - |
| Source: Estadísticas de tráfico aereo[34]" | |||
Busiest routes
[edit source]| Rank | Destination | Passengers | Change 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London-Stansted | 98,227 | 13.27% |
| 2 | London-Heathrow | 77,462 | - |
| 3 | London-Gatwick | 68,223 | 33.86% |
| 4 | Dublin | 58,427 | 25.84% |
| 5 | Geneva | 58,107 | 35.27% |
| 6 | Paris-Charles de Gaulle | 53,767 | 16.57% |
| 7 | Basel/Mulhouse | 45,629 | 16.61% |
| 8 | Frankfurt | 38,331 | 20.03% |
| 9 | Charleroi | 20,650 | 30.71% |
| 10 | Memmingen | 20,029 | 3.25% |
| Source: Estadísticas de tráfico aereo[35] | |||
| Rank | Destination | Passengers | Change 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 461,800 | 3.26% |
| 2 | Madrid | 297,717 | 35.17% |
| 3 | Seville | 275,869 | 2.60% |
| 4 | Palma de Mallorca | 255,233 | 3.06% |
| 5 | Málaga | 194,672 | 16.76% |
| 6 | Gran Canaria | 185,488 | 0.76% |
| 7 | Tenerife-North | 150,084 | 21.14% |
| 8 | Valencia | 149,907 | 9.21% |
| 9 | Alicante | 142,393 | 39.00% |
| 10 | Tenerife-South | 127,717 | 17.97% |
| Source: Estadísticas de tráfico aereo[35] | |||
Ground transportation
[edit source]Road
[edit source]The airport is linked with Santiago de Compostela (13 km) by the Autovía A-54. This motorway, although some sections are yet to be built and opened, also connects the airport with Lugo (94.5 km), where it connects with the Autovía A-6, providing toll-free motorway access to the rest of Spain; and to the French border through the Autovía A-8 that intersects with the Autovía A-6 near Lugo. Nearby Autopista AP-9 connects the airport directly to A Coruña (66 km), Ferrol (88 km), Pontevedra (75 km), Vigo (100 km) and the Portuguese border. Ourense (116 km) is reachable through the Autopista AP-53 that connects with the Autopista AP-9.
There are several major car rental companies at the airport. The airport has more than 5,000 short and long-term covered parking spaces in the new terminal building. In addition, there are several low-cost, long-term private parking facilities around the airport.
Bus services
[edit source]A city bus service connects the airport with the center of Santiago de Compostela and the bus and train terminal in the city regularly. From the station in Santiago de Compostela, private coach operators run direct services in a multiple daily basis to most cities and towns in Galicia, including A Coruña, Ferrol, Lugo, Ourense, Pontevedra and Vigo, as well as long-distance services to the rest of Spain, and international services. In addition, three regional services link the airport directly to A Coruña, to Lugo, including several stops in the French Way of the Camino de Santiago, and to the A Mariña coastal area (home to As Catedrais beach) in the province of Lugo.
Rail
[edit source]There are no rail facilities at the airport. However, the train station in Santiago de Compostela,[36] located 12 km. away, is connected to the airport by the city bus service every 30 minutes. There are combined available train+bus tickets to and from the airport. The train station in Santiago de Compostela has regional, medium and long-distance high-speed Alvia services to most cities in Galicia, including A Coruña, Ferrol, Ourense, Pontevedra, Vilagarcía de Arousa and Vigo; and further to Madrid Chamartín and the rest of Spain.
Foot and bicycle
[edit source]The Camino de Santiago runs next to the runway of the airport. This is the busiest and final journey in the Camino de Santiago that goes through the famous Monte do Gozo. There are dedicated pathways for both pedestrians and bicyclists towards the city. The walking distance from the runway to the Cathedral is estimated at 10.90 km.
Accidents and incidents
[edit source]- On 3 March 1978, a Douglas DC-8-63 jetliner, registration EC-BMX, operated by Iberia from Madrid–Barajas Airport with 211 passengers and 11 crew members aboard, touched down far down the runway after a high approach, aquaplaned off the runway, dropped into a hollow 20 m deep and caught fire. The crash resulted in 70 injuries, 10 of them serious, but no fatalities.[37]
- On 7 June 2001, a Beechcraft B300C Super King Air 350 twin turboprop, registration F-GOAE, departed from Le Mans-Arnage Airport (LME), France, to Santiago De Compostela Airport (SCQ), Spain, on a cargo flight under instrument flight rules. Near the destination airport, the meteorological conditions were reported to be good, and the crew requested a visual approach to runway 17, even though the active runway was 35. Once cleared to land, the aircraft encountered an unexpected patch of fog, whereupon it began to descend at a high rate — 2000 to 3000 ft/min — then struck some trees in level flight at an airspeed of 148 kt. The wings and engines detached from the fuselage, and it slid along a scrubland area until it came to a stop. The crew suffered minor injuries, but the aircraft was completely destroyed.[38]
- On 2 August 2012, an Airnor Cessna 500 Citation I business jet, registration EC-IBA, flying from Asturias crashed whilst on approach to the airport, resulting in the death of both crew members.[39]
References
[edit source]- 1 2 3 4 "Wizz Air conectará Santiago con Roma y Varsovia y abrirá una base con cinco rutas nacionales nuevas". Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ Galicia
- ↑ Deaño Santiago, Carlos (12 March 2020). "Rebautizo oficial del aeropuerto como Rosalía de Castro". El Correo Gallego. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ↑ "Miles de presos construyeron obras civiles y militares en Galicia hasta 1960". 13 March 2010.
- 1 2 3 Lorenzo, S. (24 March 2019). "Los chárter maquillan una oferta estival en Lavacolla con menos rutas exteriores". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ↑ "Iberia inaugura un vuelo semanal Santiago-Nueva York". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 15 June 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ↑ "Viasa's Routes to Be Shared Between Venezuelan Carriers". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones Newswires. 8 October 1998. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ↑ "United Adds Flights to New Cities in Croatia, Italy, Scotland and Spain next Summer". United. United. 9 October 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ↑ Suárez, David (2024-07-29). "El aeropuerto de Lavacolla, 89 años jugando un papel crucial en el desarrollo económico y turístico de Galicia". El Correo Gallego (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-25.
- ↑ "New Terminal". Archived from the original on 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
- ↑ "New Terminal Expansion". Archived from the original on 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
- ↑ "Two new European city destinations added to Cork Airport's Summer 2026 schedule". 11 December 2025.
- 1 2 "Santiago de Compostela, Spain". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 967–968. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
- ↑ "Zurich, Switzerland". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 1178–1184. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
- ↑ "IBERIA NW24 Madrid – Europe Frequency Changes – 26MAY24". Aeroroutes.
- ↑ "KLM Introduces three new European summer destinations: Jersey, Santiago de Compostela, and Oviedo". KLM.
- ↑ Liu, Jim (22 January 2024). "Lufthansa / Air Dolomiti NS24 European Network/Frequency Changes – 21JAN24". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- 1 2 Liu, Jim (11 September 2025). "RYANAIR NW25 SPAIN SERVICE CHANGES – 07SEP25". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ↑ "UNITED NS26 INTERCONTINENTAL NETWORK EXPANSION – 09OCT25". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Liu, Jim (31 October 2024). "Vueling NW24 Frequency Changes – 27OCT24". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ↑ "El aeropuerto de Santiago cambia Heathrow por Gatwick, pero mantendrá su vuelo diario con Londres este invierno". El Correo Gallego. 9 June 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ "Vueling 4Q25 Network Additions – 03AUG25". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ↑ "Vueling recuperará en septiembre la ruta aérea entre Santiago y Valencia que Ryanair suprimió en marzo". La Voz de Galicia. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- ↑ "El aeropuerto de Jerez estrena vuelo directo a Santiago de Compostela con Vueling". 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "WizzAir recrudece su guerra con Vueling en Loiu y anuncia cuatro nuevos destinos de un plumazo". Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- ↑ "Wizz Air adelanta la apertura de su base en el aeropuerto de Santiago al 17 de diciembre". Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "Wizz Air adelanta la apertura de su base en el aeropuerto de Santiago al 17 de diciembre". Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "Wizz Air arranca una nueva etapa en España con bases en Madrid, Valencia y su entrada en las rutas nacionales". Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- ↑ "Wizz Air adelanta la apertura de su base en el aeropuerto de Santiago al 17 de diciembre". Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "Wizz Air adelanta la apertura de su base en el aeropuerto de Santiago al 17 de diciembre". Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "Wizz Air abre base en Valencia y estrena en otoño siete rutas". Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- ↑ "Wizz Air adelanta la apertura de su base en el aeropuerto de Santiago al 17 de diciembre". Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "Annual Statistics" (in Spanish). Aena Aeropuertos S.A. Archived from the original on 27 June 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- ↑ "AENA". AENA. 12 August 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Inicio". aena.es. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
- ↑ train station in Santiago de Compostela
- ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63 EC-BMX Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ)".
- ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft B300C Super King Air 350 F-GOAE Santiago de Compostela (SCQ)".
- ↑ Santiago de Compostela accident
External links
[edit source]
Media related to Santiago de Compostela Airport at Wikimedia Commons
