Bilbao Airport

Bilbao Airport is a public airport located nine kilometres (5.6 miles) north of Bilbao, in the municipality of Loiu, in Biscay. It is considered as the most important airport in Basque Country and northern Spain and is well-known for its main terminal, which opened in 2000 and was designed by Santiago Calatrava. It is owned and operated by Aena. In 2014, the airport recorded a total number of 4,015,352 passengers, 42,590 flights operated, and 2,856 tonnes cargo transported. It is the second most important base for Vueling, with the second highest number of destinations offered.

The airport was built in 1928, elevated at 42 metres / 137 feet above mean sea level and can be found on the map at these coordinates: 43°18′04″N; 002°54′38″W. It has two asphalt runways, one at with 10/28 direction and has a length of 2,000/1,450 metres or 6,562/4,757 feet; while the other has a 12/30 direction and has a length of 2,600 metres or 8,530 feet.

Terminals

There is one main terminal building at Bilbao Airport. It was expanded, along with the other airport facilities and the carpark, to accommodate the capacity of the airport for passengers. The airlines that serve Bilbao Airport are Aer Lingus, Air Berlin, Air Europa, Air France, HOP!-operated Air France, Air Nostrum, Alitalia, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Czech Airlines, EasyJet, EasyJet Switzerland, Germanwings, Iberia, KLM Cityhopper-operated KLM, Lufthansa, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Swiss European Air Lines-operated Swiss International Air Lines, Portugália-operated TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Volotea, and Vueling. These air carriers operate scheduled and seasonal flights to and from numerous destinations such as Dublin, Paris, Madrid, Alicante, Madeira, Valencia, Rome, London, Brussels, London, Manchester, Geneva, Dusseldorf, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Istanbul, Venice, Seville, Marrakesh, and more.

Departure Area is on the third floor. Check-in desks are located here. Ground floor and the second floor are where the boarding gates 1 to 6 and 7 to 12 are located respectively. The shops and dining areas are also located here. The boarding gates are located specifically on the mezzanine floor (airbridges) and the remote boarding on the ground floor.

Services and Facilities

Bilbao Airport is fully equipped with facilities for the passengers and guests’ ease and comfort. There are a number of information points throughout the terminal building to accommodate inquiries and for passenger assistance; ATMs for quick cash; play area for children; lost and found services; meeting areas; police desks and security personnel services; baggage wrapping services; lost luggage services; P.O. boxes; and Wi-Fi services. There are numerous shops and dining areas at the airport as well, including a duty free shopping centre and Sibarium Delicatessen, which offers an “exquisite selection of gastronomic products” from different regions in Spain. There are also VIP lounges for Schengen and non-Schengen flight passengers, located on the mezzanine level of the terminal (P2 boarding area). Bilbao Airport provides free assistance for passengers with reduced mobility. Car rental services are provided by several companies like Avis, Enterprise Atesa, Europcar, Hertz, and Sixt.

Airports near Bilbao:

Getting to & from the Airport

Driving hide

From Bilbao, get on N-637 from Túnel Artxanda-La Salve and then continue on N-637. Take BI-631 to N-633.

Trains hide

At present, there’s no rail connection to and from the airport, but there are plans to build one between Bilbao Airport and the city centre.

Buses hide

The BizkaiBus bus line connects Bilbao centre (Moyúa square) and the city bus station with the airport at 30-minute intervals. Bus stops are at the Arrivals and Departure areas. PESA-operated Lurraldebus is also available, with only one stop at Zarautz and provides a direct service between the airport and Plaza de Pío XII in San Sebastian. There’s also a line operating daily that stops in Arrasate (Garibay), Bergara (Ibargaray), and Eibar (Ego-Gain).

Taxi hide

Federación Margen Derecha del Taxi operates taxis at the airport, which you can book by telephone or can arrange for a ride by filling out a form on their website.