Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD)
History, Facts and Overview

(Madrid, Spain)

Although several small aerodromes already existed within the Madrid area during the late 1920s, it soon became clear that one large, central airport was the way forward. An enormous plot of land was therefore purchased next to the up-and-coming town of Barajas, a location well connected to Madrid, and well placed for Zaragoza in the north-east and Toulouse in southern France.

Madrid Barajas Airport opened for traffic at the beginning of 1931 and was soon offering regular flights between Barcelona and other Spanish cities. The grass runways were surfaced in the forties and by 1950 there were three long, hard-surface runways in full use. Just five years later, Madrid Barajas Airport was serving more than 500,000 passengers each year. The next decade saw the arrival of jet planes and the package holiday industry, and was a time of tremendous growth for Madrid's ever expanding airport.


Today, various passenger amenities are on offer at Madrid Barajas Airport, such as banking, shopping, dining and more. In total, the airport is home to around 100 different shops and over 30 eateries, comprising bakeries, coffee shops, sandwich bars and restaurants, where traditional Spanish Tapas is always a favourite.

Madrid Airport also boasts a large business centre, seven meeting rooms and nine VIP lounges, including the Amnios, Cibeles, Iberia and Spanair lounges. Also worth noting, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Industry provides an office and a small meeting room, which can be hired.