Bilbao Airport guide

Bilbao Airport sits in the municipality of Loiu, about 9 km north of Bilbao city centre in the province of Biscay. It is the busiest airport in the Basque Country and serves the whole of northern Spain's Bay of Biscay coast. It first opened to traffic on 19 September 1948.

The passenger terminal opened in 2000 and was designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava. Its two symmetrical wings and sharp central tip earned it the nickname La Paloma, the Dove. Aena runs the airport as part of its Spanish network.

Traffic has grown for three years running. Vueling carries the largest share of passengers at close to half the total. Volotea, Lufthansa, Air Europa and Iberia follow. The route map links Bilbao to Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities, and to hubs and leisure destinations across Europe.

The airport has two asphalt runways, 10/28 at 2,000 m and 12/30 at 2,600 m. Most travellers reach the city by road in 15 to 20 minutes.