Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport

Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (IATA: BCN, ICAO: LEBL) is a big international airport located about 15 kilometers southwest of Barcelona in Spain. It sits in the towns of El Prat de Llobregat, Viladecans, and Sant Boi in the region of Catalonia.

It is the second-largest and second-busiest airport in Spain and the busiest international airport in Catalonia. In 2025, it served over 57 million passengers, making it one of the busiest airports in Europe, ranking as the seventh busiest. Many airlines use the airport as a hub or focus city, including Level, Vueling, Air Europa, Iberia, EasyJet, and Ryanair.

For many years, the flight route between Barcelona and Madrid was the busiest in the world. However, after a fast train started running between the two cities in 2008, the number of flights on that route was reduced. The airport was renamed in 2018 to honor Josep Tarradellas, the first Catalan president under the current Spanish Constitution.

History

Foundation and early years

Barcelona's first airfield opened in 1916 at El Remolar, but it didn't have space to grow. So, a new airport opened at El Prat in 1918. The first plane to arrive was a Latécoère Salmson 300 from Toulouse, heading to Casablanca. The airport became home to the Aeroclub of Catalonia and the Spanish Navy's Zeppelin fleet. In 1927, Iberia started its first flight from Barcelona to Madrid, marking the start of regular commercial flights.

More runways, taxiways, and a passenger terminal were built in the 1940s and 1950s. By 1963, the airport welcomed over one million passengers a year. A new control tower was built in 1965, and a modern terminal opened in 1968, which is still used today as Terminal 2B.

Development since 2010

A brand new Terminal 1 opened in 2009, covering an area of 545,000 m². Today, most flights use this terminal, while the older terminals are now called 2A, 2B, and 2C.

After challenges in the early 2000s, the airport grew stronger. In 2014, it became the first Spanish airport to welcome daily flights with the large Airbus A380-800 plane, thanks to Emirates flights to Dubai.

In October 2019, protests affected the airport after the trial of Catalonia independence leaders. Thousands of people gathered, causing disruptions and flight cancellations. Police worked to manage the situation, and many flights were delayed or canceled during this time.

Operations

Airlines

Most of the traffic at Barcelona Airport is within Spain and Europe, where Vueling has an operational base. Connections to other parts of the world have not brought many passengers in recent years. In the early 2000s, the number of passengers and flights at the airport grew a lot.

Flights by low-cost airlines increased a lot, especially after Vueling and Clickair started bases at the airport. Vueling and Clickair merged in July 2009 and now operate under the Vueling name. Other low-cost airlines flying from the airport include Ryanair, EasyJet, Norwegian Air International, easyJet Switzerland, Wizz Air, and Transavia. A new base was set up at the airport in September 2010.

Infrastructure

The airport has three runways: two parallel ones, called 06L/24R and 06R/24L (the second one opened in 2004), and a cross runway 02/20. There are two terminals: T2, which combines the old Terminals A, B, and C, located on the north side; and T1, on the west side, which opened on June 16, 2009. As of 2014, the two terminals had a total of 268 check-in counters and 64 boarding gates. Only special flights like emergency or government flights can use visual flight rules, while most flights must follow instrument flight rules.

A plan called Plan Barcelona was finished in 2009, adding a third terminal building and a control tower. Another runway (07R/25L) was also built. This let the airport handle 55 million passengers each year, up from 33 million in 2007. The airport grew from 8.45 to 15.33 square kilometres (3.26 to 5.92 sq mi). More expansion was planned to be done by 2012, adding a new satellite terminal to allow the airport to handle up to 70 million passengers each year.

Terminals

Terminal 1

A new Terminal 1 was opened on June 16, 2009, designed by Ricardo Bofill. It covers 548,000 square meters and has space for aircraft, parking, and check-in. It can handle big planes like the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747.

Terminal 1 handles both flights within Europe and flights to other parts of the world. It has special areas for different kinds of flights and includes many check-in counters, jetways, and baggage carousels.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 has three parts: 2A, 2B, and 2C. Part 2B is the oldest, dating back to 1968, and parts 2A and 2C were added before the 1992 Summer Olympics. This terminal is mainly used by budget airlines.

After Terminal 1 opened in 2009, Terminal 2 had fewer flights. To bring more airlines back, the airport lowered landing fees. Now, Terminal 2C is used by easyJet for flights to the UK and other non-European places, while Terminal 2B is used by Ryanair and other airlines.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines have regular flights to and from Barcelona:

Statistics

Annual traffic

Busiest routes

Ground transportation

Rail

Train

Main article: Airport (Rodalies de Catalunya)

Terminal 2 has a Rodalies Barcelona commuter train station on Line R2. Trains leave every 30 minutes to Maçanet-Massanes, stopping at many stations in Barcelona's city centre, including Barcelona Sants and Passeig de Gràcia. You can also switch to the Barcelona Metro and fast trains that go to and from other countries. If you are going to Terminal 1, you need to take a bus from Terminal 2B.

A new shuttle train is being built to take people directly from Terminal 1 to Barcelona Sants and Passeig de Gràcia. This will make trips to the city centre faster and more frequent. It is expected to start working in 2026, which is six years later than first planned.

Metro

Main article: Barcelona Metro line 9

Since February 12, 2016, the airport has been connected to Barcelona by Line 9 of the Barcelona Metro. There is a station in each terminal: the Aeroport T1 station is under terminal T1, and the Aeroport T2 station is near the Aeroport rail station at terminal T2. This line links to many other metro lines that serve the city centre.

Road

The C-32B highway connects the airport to a big traffic interchange between Barcelona's Ronda de Dalt beltway and major motorways. The airport has about 24,000 parking spaces.

Bus

The Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) public bus line 46 starts from Paral·lel Avenue. The Aerobús takes passengers directly from T1 and T2 to the city centre at Plaça Catalunya. Another company runs buses from Barcelona Airport to airports nearby, such as Reus Airport or Girona–Costa Brava, as well as to big cities in the area and in France or Andorra.

Ride-hailing

Since 2024, the Estonian ride-hailing company Bolt has had special pickup areas at the airport.

Incidents and accidents

Sorry, this section talks about serious accidents that happened at the airport. Because these details might be upsetting for young readers, we are not including them here.