Wikipedia

Faro Airport

For the airport in Yukon, Canada, see Faro Airport (Yukon).
Not to be confused with Paro Airport.

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.

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]

History

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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

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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,[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[63]
Transavia Amsterdam, Brussels,[64] Eindhoven, Lyon, Nantes, Paris–Orly, Rotterdam/The Hague
Seasonal: Bordeaux (begins 7 July 2025),[65] Nice[66]
TUI Airways[67] Seasonal: Birmingham, East Midlands, London–Gatwick, Manchester
TUI fly Belgium[68] Seasonal: Brussels
TUI fly Deutschland Seasonal: Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Stuttgart
United Airlines Seasonal: Newark (begins 23 May 2025)[69]
Volotea Seasonal: Bilbao,[70] Brest,[71] Lille,[72] Lyon, Nantes, Strasbourg,[73] Toulouse[74]
Vueling Seasonal: Barcelona, Bilbao[75]
Wizz Air Seasonal: London–Gatwick

Statistics

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Aerial view in 2014
 
Airport view in 2006
 
ATC tower

Passenger numbers

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Annual passenger traffic at FAO airport. See Wikidata query.
Passengers % Change
1990 2,757,749
1991 3,323,867   20.5%
1992 3,366,542   1.3%
1993 3,062,702   9.0%
1994 3,508,520   14.6%
1995 3,831,470   9.2%
1996 3,657,457   4.5%
1997 3,825,029   4.6%
1998 4,102,433   7.3%
1999 4,523,654   10.3%
2000 4,704,780   4.0%
2001 4,579,459   2.7%
2002 4,706,432   2.8%
2003 4,696,100   0.2%
2004 4,658,189   0.8%
2005 4,754,508   2.1%
2006 5,089,733   7.1%
2007 5,470,712   7.5%
2008 5,447,200   0.4%
2009 5,062,214   7.1%
2010 5,337,542   5.4%
2011 5,617,688   5.2%
2012 5,674,221   1.0%
2013 5,982,950   5.4%
2014 6,168,868   3.1%
2015 6,439,480   4.9%
2016 7,632,857   18.5%
2017 8,728,876   14.4%
2018 8,687,064   0.5%
2019 9,010,860   3.7%
2020 2,208,276   75.5%
2021 3,265,182   47.9%
2022 8,170,715   150.2%
2023 9,640,000   18.0%
Jan–Oct 2024 9,067,000   1.8%
Source: Pordata[76] Vinci[3] INE[77]

Busiest routes

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Busiest routes from Faro Airport (2023)[78]
Rank City, airport Passengers %
change from

2019

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

Ground transport

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Car

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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

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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

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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.[79] A study into a rail link to the airport was undertaken in 2018.[80]

Accidents and incidents

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  • 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.[81]
  • 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.[82]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "EasyJet opens Faro summer base". Travel Weekly.
  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.
  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.
  10. ^ "Faro International Airport Terminal Expansion". Airport Technology. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Faro International Airport".
  12. ^ "anna.aero | Undergoing Maintenance". www.therouteshop.com.
  13. ^ "Faro Airport renamed". The Portugal News. The Portugal News. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  14. ^ [1] Portugal might become the first country to have zero-emission airports, TheMayor.EU, TZVETOZAR VINCENT IOLOV, Retrieved 14.09.2022.
  15. ^ Liu, Jim. "Air France S20 Spain/Portugal network additions". Routesonline. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Animawings va opera șase rute regulate în vara anului 2024". 28 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Azores Airlines Plans June 2024 Ponta Delgada – Faro Launch". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  18. ^ "BA EuroFlyer NW24 Europe Frequency Changes – 27OCT24". Aeroroutes. Aeroroutes. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  19. ^ "British Airways NW24 Heathrow – Europe Frequency Changes – 27OCT24". Aeroroutes. Aeroroutes. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  20. ^ "Majorca and the Algarve – Direct from City of Derry Next Summer". 25 July 2023.
  21. ^ "Flying to Majorca from Guernsey | Flight information".
  22. ^ "Brussels Airlines NW24 Europe Frequency Changes – 26MAY24". Aeroroutes.
  23. ^ a b c "Sommer 2023: Condor plant einige neue Ferienstrecken ab Deutschland". 27 May 2022.
  24. ^ Sena, Gastón (22 April 2022). "Condor will have flights to Alicante and Faro". Aviacionline. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
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  26. ^ "Condor schedule - summer 2023" (PDF).
  27. ^ "Police remove 26 men from Glasgow flight for disruptive behaviour". 21 June 2024.
  28. ^ a b "EASYJET NS23 NETWORK ADDITIONS SUMMARY – 30JAN23". Aeroroutes. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  29. ^ "EASYJET CELEBRATES FLYING THREE MILLION PASSENGERS TO AND FROM BHX AND LAUNCHES NEW SUMMER ROUTE TO FARO". Birmingham Airport.
  30. ^ "EasyJet adds new summer leisure flights from UK".
  31. ^ "News for Airlines, Airports and the Aviation Industry | CAPA".
  32. ^ "easyJet NS25 Network Additions – 19NOV24". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  33. ^ "Edelweiss Moves Forward A350 Service Launch to April 2025". Aeroroutes. Aeroroutes. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  34. ^ "Eurowings NS24 Hanover / Nuremberg Network Expansion". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  35. ^ https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240910-ewnw24pt
  36. ^ "Eurowings NS25 Network Additions – 01DEC24". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  37. ^ "Finnair NW24 Faro / Lanzarote Service Changes". Aeroroutes.
  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.
  41. ^ "Jet2 Expands Luton Airport Routes with Direct Flights to Girona, Verona, and Madeira, Enhancing European Travel Access".
  42. ^ Liu, Jim (20 April 2022). "Jet2.com A330 NS22 Operations - 18APR22". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  43. ^ "Bournemouth airport set for 2025 fares war as Jet2 moves in". Independent.co.uk. 26 March 2024.
  44. ^ "Luxair July – Oct 2023 737 MAX Network – 09APR23". Aeroroutes.
  45. ^ https://www.flyplay.com/en/news/play-airlines-expands-with-new-faro-route
  46. ^ https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/play/play-airlines-expands-network-with-new-keflavik-faro-route/
  47. ^ "Ryanair NS23 Network Additions Summary – 26MAR23". Aeroroutes.
  48. ^ a b c d e "Ryanair abre 18 novas rotas em 2023 no Porto e em Faro devido a descida das taxas".
  49. ^ "Ryanair May – Oct 2023 Italy Frequency Variations – 14MAY23". Aeroroutes.
  50. ^ "Rayanir website". Ryanair.com. [not specific enough to verify]
  51. ^ "Ryanair NW22 Network Additions Summary – 09DEC22". Aeroroutes.
  52. ^ a b "Ryanair".
  53. ^ "Ryanair NS23 Porto Frequency Variations – 19FEB23". Aeroroutes.
  54. ^ a b c d e "Ryanair NW23 Network Changes – 17SEP23".
  55. ^ a b "Ryanair wznawia hitową trasę z Polski! Znów polecimy do bajecznej Portugalii".
  56. ^ "Ryanair NS23 Network Additions – 22DEC22".
  57. ^ "Ryanair Morocco NS24 Network Expansion". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  58. ^ "Ryanair will fly to THREE new Mediterranean destinations from Norwich Airport". 5 December 2023.
  59. ^ a b c Liu, Jim (30 October 2024). "SAS NW24 Europe Service Changes – 27OCT24". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  60. ^ Liu, Jim (21 December 2022). "SAS NS23 Short-Haul Frequency Variations – 18DEC22". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  61. ^ a b Liu, Jim. "Smartwings schedules seasonal routes from Poland in S19". Routesonline. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  62. ^ "Swiss ouvre cinq routes estivales à Genève | Air Journal". www.air-journal.fr. 20 December 2018.
  63. ^ Liu, Jim (18 November 2024). "Icelandair Launches Emirates and TAP Air Portugal Codeshare in Nov 2024". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  64. ^ "Transavia vliegt komende zomer vanaf Brussels Airport - Travelpro". 21 December 2021.
  65. ^ "Transavia France NS25 Network Additions – 22OCT24". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  66. ^ "Transavia to link Faro and Nice this summer". 15 February 2024.
  67. ^ "Flight Timetable". tui.co.uk.
  68. ^ "Flight plan". tui.be.
  69. ^ "United Airlines Bets on Offbeat Destinations, Adds Mongolia and Greenland for 2025". Skift. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  70. ^ "Volotea unirá este verano Loiu con la ciudad portuguesa de Faro y Santorini". 30 November 2022.
  71. ^ "La compagnie Volotea s'installe à Brest et promet 13 nouvelles lignes". 8 November 2023.
  72. ^ "Seven new routes from Lille Airport". 28 April 2022.
  73. ^ "Aéroport Strasbourg-Entzheim: Volotea va annoncer une nouvelle destination".
  74. ^ Eymery, Céline. "Volotea étoffe son programme depuis Ajaccio, Deauville et Toulouse". Tourmag.com, le Média Spécialiste du Tourisme Francophone. Tourmag.com. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  75. ^ "Vueling anuncia una nueva ruta desde el aeropuerto de Bilbao a Faro el próximo verano". 21 December 2022.
  76. ^ "Tráfego de passageiros nos aeroportos: Lisboa, Porto e Faro". Pordata. 2023.
  77. ^ "Movimento de passageiros nos aeroportos nacionais desacelerou, apesar de ter mantido a tendência de máximos mensais - Outubro de 2024". Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  78. ^ "Eurostat Data Explorer". Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  79. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps.
  80. ^ "Studies to be carried out on rail link to Faro Airport". The Portugal News. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  81. ^ "Final Report on the Accident Occurring at Faro Airport - Portugal on 21 December 1992" (PDF).
  82. ^ "Storm damages Faro airport, snarls flights". portugaldailyview.com. 24 October 2011. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
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