If you had to find the best indicator of Madrid's economic and tourism dynamism, it would probably be Barajas airport. In just ten years, Madrid airport has doubled its passenger numbers, from 23.6 million in 1997 to 45.5 million in 2006.
This has led to overcrowding in recent years, while waiting for the inauguration of the two new runways, the new T4 terminal and its T4S satellite. This has been the case since 5 February 2006, when Iberia and its Oneworld partners were able to move into the terminal designed by Antonio Lamela and Richard Rogers. Thanks to this infrastructure, built at a cost of 6 billion euros, Barajas can now handle 75 million passengers a year.
This is a good sign, even if the airport continues to experience strong growth corresponding to that of flights to South America, for which Barajas is the main European hub. Nearly 80 % of Madrid airport users are connecting passengers.
Dossier - Madrid Azca
Madrid Azca
- The big boom
