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Faro Airport

Faro Airport

Aeroporto Internacional de Faro
20220909 154134 Faro Airport ex LH1163 D AIEN.jpg
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerVinci SA
OperatorANA Aeroportos de Portugal
ServesFaro, Algarve, Portugal
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL7 m / 24 ft
Coordinates37°00′52″N 007°57′57″W / 37.01444°N 7.96583°W / 37.01444; -7.96583
Websiteana.pt
Map
LPFR is located in Portugal
LPFR
LPFR
Location within Portugal
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
10/28 2,490 8,169 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers9,640,000
Passengers change 22-23Increase 18.0%
Aircraft movements62,709
Movements change 22-23Increase 13.0%
Sources: ANAC,[2] Vinci,[3] ANA,[4][5] WAD[6]

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.

History

Arrivals area
Terminal building
Terminal building

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

The following airlines operate regular scheduled direct passenger flights at Faro Airport:

AirlinesDestinations
Aer Lingus Dublin
Seasonal: Cork
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle[15]
Air Transat Toronto–Pearson
Animawings Seasonal: Bucharest-Otopeni[16]
Azores Airlines Ponta Delgada[17]
British Airways London–Gatwick[18]
Seasonal: London–City, London–Heathrow[19]
Seasonal charter: Derry,[20] Guernsey[21]
Brussels Airlines Brussels[22]
Chair Airlines Seasonal: Zürich
Condor Seasonal: Düsseldorf,[23] Frankfurt,[24] Hamburg (begins 3 April 2025),[23][25] Leipzig/Halle,[26] Munich[23]
easyJet Amsterdam, Basel/Mulhouse, Belfast–International, Bordeaux, Bristol, Geneva, Glasgow,[27] Liverpool, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, Lyon, Manchester, Milan–Malpensa, Nantes, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Paris–Orly
Seasonal: Barcelona,[28] Berlin, Birmingham,[29] London–Southend,[30] Southampton,[31] Toulouse,[28] Zürich (begins 1 April 2024)[32]
Edelweiss Air Zürich[33]
Eurowings Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hannover,[34] Stockholm–Arlanda, Stuttgart
Seasonal: Berlin (begins 14 December 2024),[35] Hamburg, Prague (resumes 17 June 2025)[36]
Finnair Helsinki[37]
Iberia Seasonal: Madrid[38]
Jet2.com Belfast–International, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh,[39] Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool,[40] London–Luton (begins 4 April 2025),[41] London–Stansted, Manchester,[42] Newcastle upon Tyne
Seasonal: Bournemouth (begins 4 April 2025)[43]
Lufthansa Frankfurt, Munich
Luxair Luxembourg[44]
Marabu Seasonal: Hamburg, Munich
Norwegian Air Shuttle Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm–Arlanda
Play Seasonal: Reykjavik–Keflavík (begins 12 April 2025)[45][46]
Ryanair[47] Aarhus,[48] Beauvais, Belfast–International, Bergamo,[49] Berlin, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Charleroi, Cork, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, Glasgow–Prestwick, Hahn,[50][51] Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden,[52] Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool, London–Luton, London–Stansted, Manchester, Memmingen, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newquay, Porto,[53] Vienna, Weeze
Seasonal: Aberdeen, Barcelona,[48][54] Bordeaux, Budapest,[55] Cardiff, Cologne/Bonn, Copenhagen,[48] Exeter,[56] Kerry, Knock, Kraków,[55] Luxembourg,[52][54] Madrid,[54] Marrakesh,[57] Marseille,[54] Norwich,[58] Nuremberg,[54] Rome–Fiumicino,[48] Shannon, Teesside, Toulouse,[48] Warsaw–Modlin
Scandinavian Airlines Copenhagen,[59] Gothenburg,[59] Stockholm–Arlanda[59]
Seasonal: Oslo[60]
Smartwings Seasonal: Katowice,[61] Prague, Warsaw–Chopin[61]
Swiss International Air Lines Seasonal: Geneva[62]
TAP Air Portugal Lisbon
Transavia Amsterdam, Brussels,[63] Eindhoven, Lyon, Nantes, Paris–Orly, Rotterdam/The Hague
Seasonal: Bordeaux (begins 7 July 2025),[64] Nice[65]
TUI Airways[66] Seasonal: Birmingham, East Midlands, London–Gatwick, Manchester
TUI fly Belgium[67] Seasonal: Brussels
TUI fly Deutschland Seasonal: Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Stuttgart
United Airlines Seasonal: Newark (begins 23 May 2025)[68]
Volotea Seasonal: Bilbao,[69] Brest,[70] Lille,[71] Lyon, Nantes, Strasbourg,[72] Toulouse[73]
Vueling Seasonal: Barcelona, Bilbao[74]
Wizz Air Seasonal: London–Gatwick

Statistics

Aerial view in 2014
Airport view in 2006
ATC tower

Passenger numbers

Annual passenger traffic at FAO airport. See Wikidata query.
Passengers % Change
1990 2,757,749
1991 3,323,867 Increase 20.5%
1992 3,366,542 Increase 1.3%
1993 3,062,702 Decrease 9.0%
1994 3,508,520 Increase 14.6%
1995 3,831,470 Increase 9.2%
1996 3,657,457 Decrease 4.5%
1997 3,825,029 Increase 4.6%
1998 4,102,433 Increase 7.3%
1999 4,523,654 Increase 10.3%
2000 4,704,780 Increase 4.0%
2001 4,579,459 Decrease 2.7%
2002 4,706,432 Increase 2.8%
2003 4,696,100 Decrease 0.2%
2004 4,658,189 Decrease 0.8%
2005 4,754,508 Increase 2.1%
2006 5,089,733 Increase 7.1%
2007 5,470,712 Increase 7.5%
2008 5,447,200 Decrease 0.4%
2009 5,062,214 Decrease 7.1%
2010 5,337,542 Increase 5.4%
2011 5,617,688 Increase 5.2%
2012 5,674,221 Increase 1.0%
2013 5,982,950 Increase 5.4%
2014 6,168,868 Increase 3.1%
2015 6,439,480 Increase 4.9%
2016 7,632,857 Increase 18.5%
2017 8,728,876 Increase 14.4%
2018 8,687,064 Decrease 0.5%
2019 9,010,860 Increase 3.7%
2020 2,208,276 Decrease 75.5%
2021 3,265,182 Increase 47.9%
2022 8,170,715 Increase 150.2%
2023 9,640,000 Increase 18.0%
Jan–Oct 2024 9,067,000 Increase 1.8%
Source: Pordata[75] Vinci[3] INE[76]

Busiest routes

Busiest routes from Faro Airport (2023)[77]
Rank City, airport Passengers %
change from

2019

Top carriers
1 London-Gatwick 847,215 Increase 18.5% British Airways, easyJet, TUI Airways, Wizz Air
2 Dublin 641,486 Increase 19.1% Aer Lingus, Ryanair
3 Manchester 511,660 Decrease 3.7% easyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair, TUI Airways
4 London–Stansted 432,019 Increase 7.8% Jet2.com, Ryanair
5 Bristol 350,836 Increase 13.6% easyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair
6 Paris Orly 308,259 Increase 36.1% easyJet, Transavia
7 London-Luton 300,822 Increase 5.5% easyJet, Ryanair
8 Lisbon 285,867 Decrease 1.8% TAP Air Portugal
9 Birmingham 272,231 Decrease 5.8% easyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair, TUI Airways
10 Porto 263,910 Increase 70.3% Ryanair

Ground transport

Car

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]

Bus

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

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.[78] A study into a rail link to the airport was undertaken in 2018.[79]

Accidents and incidents

  • On 21 December 1992, Martinair Flight 495 sustained a hard landing in bad weather at Faro Airport, killing 54 passengers and 2 crew out of a total of 340 occupants on board.[80]
  • 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.[81]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "Boletins Estatísticos Trimestrais" [Quarterly Statistical Bulletins]. ANAC (in Portuguese). Portuguese Civil Aviation Authority.
  3. ^ a b "Vinci Airports - Traffic 2023" (PDF). 16 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  4. ^ Annual Report 2019 (PDF), Lisbon: ANA Aeroportos de Portugal, 28 January 2020
  5. ^ "Aeroportos portugueses com o maior crescimento de sempre" [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.
  6. ^ "FARO". World Aero Data. WorldAeroData.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2004. Retrieved 2 March 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ AIP Part 3 – AD 2 Aerodromes Archived 15 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "The history of Porto Airport - Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport". Porto-Airport-Car-Rental.com. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
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  38. ^ "Iberia to increase its presence in Portugal during the summer". 29 April 2022.
  39. ^ "Jet2 NS25 A321neo Network Expansion – 14JUL24".
  40. ^ "Jet2 unveils 11th base at Liverpool John Lennon Airport". Travel Weekly.
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  45. ^ https://www.flyplay.com/en/news/play-airlines-expands-with-new-faro-route
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  68. ^ "United Airlines Bets on Offbeat Destinations, Adds Mongolia and Greenland for 2025". Skift. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
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  70. ^ "La compagnie Volotea s'installe à Brest et promet 13 nouvelles lignes". 8 November 2023.
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  76. ^ "Movimento de passageiros nos aeroportos nacionais desacelerou, apesar de ter mantido a tendência de máximos mensais - Outubro de 2024". Retrieved 11 December 2024.
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  78. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps.
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  81. ^ "Storm damages Faro airport, snarls flights". portugaldailyview.com. 24 October 2011. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2011.

Media related to Faro Airport at Wikimedia Commons