Gran Canaria Airport

Locally known as Aeropuerto de Gran Canaria, this airport is the main travel hub into Gran Canaria. It is managed and owned by AENA, which is situated in Bahia de Gando, 12 miles south of downtown Las Palmas and 16 miles from the southern tourist resorts. It serves more than 10.5 million passengers a year and has one two-story passenger terminal which is divided into three zones. All European Union flights are handled in Zone A, all international destinations outside of Europe in Zone B and services to other Canary Islands in Zone C. NASA has chosen Gran Canaria Airport as an alternative landing port for its space shuttle because of its long runways. Aside from the bigger planes, small aircraft also use the airport from mainland Spain, West Africa and other European cities. The busiest routes are Helsinki, Stockholm, Dusseldorf, Amsterdam, and Oslo.

There are no direct flights from the US, but travelers may connect in Madrid, Bilbao or Barcelona. There are also services from the UK and other cities throughout northern Africa and Europe.

The terminal is well-equipped with facilities for a comfortable stay and convenient trip. All three zones have information kiosks and Zone A has the official Tourist Board welcome area in arrivals. There are banks, currency exchange centers, a travel agency, and car rental facilities. Those who wish to go shopping can find duty-free stores in the departure areas of Zones A and B. There are 13 restaurants in the terminal.

From the airport, it is easy to get anywhere in Gran Canaria. The GC-1 links the beach resorts. Taxis and car rental are available outside the arrivals hall. Those who wish to travel economically can find buses outside Zones A and C. Route 50 is the quickest way to reach Las Palmas or Maspalomas, but there are other lines heading to destinations like Puerto Rico, Avenida de Tirajana and Atlantico shopping center.