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Santander Airport
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Santander Airport

Santander Airport is situated five kilometres outside the city in the town of Maliaño, within the municipal district of Camargo, in the west of the bay. It occupies an area of approximately 193 hectares. It is classified as a third category airport and, for aeronautical purposes, is open to civil domestic and international tourist traffic, as well as technical stopovers by commercial airlines.

The airport has a single runway measuring 2,400 by 45 metres and an apron measuring 45,166 square metres. The passenger terminal is situated on the ground floor of the main building and comprises the departures and arrivals halls, a cafeteria, services and offices. The airport also has a control tower, a cargo terminal building, a fire and rescue building, plus a helicopter hangar.

The present traffic at Santander airport is mostly scheduled domestic flights. In 2002 it handled 253,756 passengers and 11,326 operations. Of these passengers, 99.6 per cent were commercial traffic. This, in turn, was broken down into 95.8 per cent of passengers on scheduled flights and 4.2 per cent on charter flights. With regard to the origin of passengers, 99 per cent were Spanish and only one per cent international, mostly from EC countries.

HOTELS   (Click Here)
Where to stay? International Airport Guide offers discounted rates on Santander Airport Hotels. We have negotiated rates offering 45% off hotel rack rates. All hotels are quality rated through AAA or Mobil Travel Guide, the industry's most trusted sources.

Our special consortium rates with local airport hotels will ensure that you are receiving the lowest rates on Airport Hotels near Santander Airport.

Airport Facts

Santander held its first air show in 1910. The land used as an airfield - situated to the west of La Albericia - gradually gave rise to the city's first airdrome: in 1912, two hangars were installed and the airfield was levelled; in 1913, the Santander Flying Club was set up; Aeronautical Weeks were started, etc.

Years after, for several months in 1921, Santander was linked by air to Bilbao and Bayonne via the Network of Seaplanes of the Bay of Biscay belonging to the Franco-Bilbao Aeronautical Transport Company. To enable these operations to be carried out, Santander bay was equipped for seaplanes and given customs facilities.

La Albericia continued operating, but in 1936 and 1937 had to share with a new airdrome called Pontejos or Rubayo, set up to the east of the bay. After the civil war, La Albericia shared the scant civil traffic with the military base installed there.

In 1948, it was officially opened to domestic civil and international tourist traffic, and technical stopovers. In July 1950, the airline Iberia inaugurated the route with Madrid.

However, owing to the limitations of La Albericia, from 1945 it was thought a new airport should be constructed. After different studies, land in Parayas was chosen, in the municipal district of Maliaño, four kilometres to the south of the city, at the far end of the bay near the de Raos marshes.

Parayas airport

The new airport was inaugurated on 25 September 1953 and, that same day, La Albericia was finally closed. Parayas had a paved runway 1,150 metres long by 70 metres wide, a small terminal building, airport offices, customs and control tower.