Airport Guide: Gran Canaria Airport
Gran Canaria Airport is the only airport of the biggest of the Canary Islands. The airport is especially important for touristic traffic and handles more than ten million passengers a year. Gran Canaria Airport is also important for cargo. When it comes to the facilities, there are several shops and restaurants, but the infrastructure in terms of public transportation and lounges is lackluster.
If you are travelling to Gran Canaria, you are most likely looking forward for relaxing holidays. That’s why you are most likely onboard on a plane operated by one of the many leisure and low-cost airlines in Europe. Gran Canaria for example is connected with Germany by dozens of flights daily, which are operated by airlines like Air Berlin, Germania or Condor.
Air Berlin is one of the biggest carriers at Gran Canaria Airport
Of big importance at Gran Canaria Airport are also Ryanair, Norwegian, TUIfly and its regional subsidiaries as well as all Thomas Cook Airlines. Not to forget about Spanish flag carrier Iberia and the regional airline Binter Canarias.
Most important airlines at Gran Canaria Airport:
- Air Berlin: Several destinations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- Binter Canarias: Several regional and North African destinations
- Norwegian Air Shuttle: Several destinations in Europe
- Ryanair: Several destinations in Europe
Shops and restaurants at Gran Canaria Airport
Even though Gran Canaria Airport handles several millions of passengers a year, the facilities are relatively limited in space. There’s a choice of several shops, but those focus on souvenirs and press. While there are also some jewelry and fashion stores, the number is relatively limited compared to other airports.
There are several shops at Gran Canaria Airport
That’s mostly due to the traffic being holiday focused. When it comes to restaurants and cafés, there’s also a decent amount of outlets at Gran Canaria Airport. However, the focus is again rather on fast food and snacks than on fine dining.
- Overview of all shops at Gran Canaria Airport
- Overview of all restaurants and cafés at Gran Canaria Airport
Sleeping at Gran Canaria Airport
There’s no airport hotel at Gran Canaria Airport and there are also no sleeping facilities at the airport. However, as the airport is not closed during the night, you might sleep on one of the benches provided. Other than that, you may opt for one of the hotels in the approximate.
You can also find some luxury hotels in a distance of 30 minutes from the airport
You can find hotels with ratings ranging from one to four stars in cities like Telde, Agüimes and Ingenio, which you can reach in 10 to 15 minutes by car. Luxury hotels are a little further away, but might be reached in less than 30 minutes when driving out of rush hour!
Lounges at Gran Canaria Airport
Airports with about 10 million passengers a year generally come with several VIP lounges. Gran Canaria Airport is quite different in this regard as there is just a single lounge. This one is operated by AENA, the airport operator and is called Sala VIP Galdos.
The VIP Lounge at Gran Canaria Airport is relatively weak
I had the chance to check out the lounge and found it okay. There’s decent seating, a relatively weak, but acceptable selection of food and some entertainment, so you’ll be able to rest for a few minutes prior departure. The lounge is accessible either by having a premium ticket, holding a certain frequent flyer status or paying cash at the entrance (23,50 Euro + tax per person).
Transportation at Gran Canaria Airport
As you’ve might already read in our Tenerife South Airport Guide, public transportation on the Canary Islands is quite lackluster. While Gran Canaria Airport is connected with Maspalomas in the South and Las Palmas in the North by a nice motorway, there’s not a lot of public transportation. Buses connecting the airport are relatively slow, but cheap. The most common means of transportation at Gran Canaria Airport are tour buses, taxis and rental cars, which are offered to you by several companies at the airport.