BARCELONA EL PRAT AIRPORT – The Spanish government has announced the suspension of plans to expand Barcelona-El Prat airport to make it a major international hub attracting even more tourists to Catalonia.
[Updated September 13, 2021 09:30 AM] The second largest airport in Spain after Madrid, Barcelona-El Prat International Airport (BCN) is located approximately 12 kilometers southwest of the city center. Divided into two terminals with numerous passenger services (shops and restaurants, hotel, car park, etc.), the airport welcomes more than 50 million travelers each year who come to discover the city of Barcelona for a weekend or a week’s vacation. While there was talk of expanding it with the construction of a new terminal and the expansion of one of the three runways to make it a large international hub attracting even more tourists to Catalonia, the Spanish government announced the suspension of the project.
A decision motivated by persistent tensions with the Catalan authorities. Spanish Transport Minister Raquel Sánchez speaks of a loss of trust and accuses the Generalitat de Catalunya of breaking the agreement. The project in fact aroused frontal opposition from Catalan environmentalists from the start, due to its proximity to the protected wetland of the Llobregat river delta, southwest of Barcelona.
Barcelona airport currently serves more than 140 destinations in Europe and elsewhere, served by nearly 90 airlines including Ryanair, Air France, Vueling, Iberia, Level and EasyJet. Departing from Barcelona-El Prat international airport, you can fly to Madrid, Athens, Dublin, Montreal, London, Brussels, Prague, Cairo, Dubai, Seoul, Venice, Paris-Orly or Istanbul.
Barcelona El Prat International Airport has 3 car parks located near the two terminals:
Aerobus shuttles run 365 days a year and connect Barcelona-El Prat Airport to Barcelona city center in 35 minutes. The route has several stops at must-see places in the city: Plaça Espanya, Gran Via-Urgell, Plaça Universitat and Plaça Catalunya. The Aerobus shuttle runs from 5:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. from Plaça Catalunya and from 5:35 a.m. to 1:05 a.m. from the airport. Count 5.90 euros for the one-way ticket and 10.20 euros for the round trip valid for 15 days. The Aerobus ticket can be purchased online, at vending machines by credit card and on board only in cash.
From Barcelona Airport Terminal 1 or 2, you can also easily reach the city center by boarding the 46 bus. This will take you to Plaça Espanya in around 35 minutes. The price of a one-way ticket is 2.15 euros and the bus usually runs every 20 minutes.
Barcelona Airport T1 and T2 are connected to the Barcelona City Metro network. By taking line 9, you can reach Zona Universitària station and then make a change to arrive in the city center on line 3. Count 4.50 euros and an hour’s journey.
You can check the status of flights departing from Barcelona airport in real time for the next 24 hours by clicking HERE. There you will find the status of your flight. In the green square on the left, fill in the number of your flight or your destination.
Barcelona El Prat International Airport is open 24 hours a day. You can sleep there, especially in one of the Air rooms provided for this purpose. You can also stay there for a maximum of 6 hours during the day.
Want to contact Barcelona Airport regarding a flight or other travel-related question? You can do this by telephone on (34) 913 211 000. The exact address of Barcelona airport is: 08820 El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona.
