Palma de Mallorca Airport (IATA: PMI, ICAO: LEPA) — also known as Son Sant Joan Airport – is an international airport located 8 km (5.0 mi) east[2] of Palma, Mallorca, Spain, adjacent to the village of Can Pastilla.

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Palma de Mallorca Airport

Aeroport de Palma de Mallorca

Aeropuerto de Palma de Mallorca
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Summary
Airport typePublic and military
Owner/OperatorAena
ServesMallorca
LocationPalma de Mallorca, Spain
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL8 m / 27 ft
Coordinates39°33′06″N 002°44′20″E
Websitewww.aena.es/en/palma-mallorca-airport/index.html
Map
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PMI
PMI
Location in Majorca
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PMI
PMI
PMI (Spain)
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Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
06L/24R 3,270 10,728 Asphalt
06R/24L 3,000 9,842 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers31,105,987
Passenger change 22-23Increase 9%
Aircraft movements228,920
Movements change 22-23Increase 4%
Cargo (kilos)7,184,352
Cargo change 22-23Decrease 5%
Sources: Passenger Traffic, AENA[1]
Spanish AIP, AENA[2]
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In 2020, the airport handled 6.1 million passengers (after 29.7 million in 2019, in pre-COVID-19 conditions), making it the third busiest airport in Spain, after Madrid–Barajas and Barcelona–El Prat.[1] Passenger traffic then recovered to 31.1m in 2023. The airport is the main base for the Spanish carrier Air Europa and also a focus airport for Eurowings, EasyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair and Vueling. The airport shares runways with the nearby Son Sant Joan Air Force Base, operated by the Spanish Air and Space Force.

History

Early years

The interest of the Spanish Government in developing airmail during the first decades of the 20th century, led to a study of the possibility of establishing an air mail line to the Balearic Islands. Finally, in 1921, the company Aeromarítima Mallorquina established the postal line Barcelona - Palma, which used seaplanes in the port of Palma de Mallorca. Before the creation of this airline, trials were complete in two flat fields: Son Sant Joan and Son Bonet, both of which were later chosen for the construction of aerodromes.[3][4]

In 1934, the company Aero-Taxi de Mallorca was created with the intention of starting tourist flights to the island, establishing a flight school in Son Sant Joan. A year later, another one was founded in Son Bonet.[3]

In May 1935 the company LAPE, Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas (Spanish Postal Airlines), a predecessor of Iberia; was founded. A month later, in August, the first regular air route between Madrid and Palma, stopping at Valencia, was created using the Son Sant Joan aerodrome. A year later, this line was replaced by a new one connecting Palma and Barcelona. Three years later, Lufthansa and Iberia established new lines in Son Bonet,[5] while Son Sant Joan was beginning to be used by the military. Through the years, Son Bonet became the main civilian airport in the island, while the creation of Son Sant Joan Air Force Base limited further civilian enterprises at the aerodrome.[3]

In 1954, the runway was enlarged and paved to enable the operation of F-86 Sabre fighters, which also meant the diversion of the Palma - Llucmajor road. During those years, the first paved taxiways and aprons were built, while Son Bonet received the first big groups of European tourists through the airlines BEA, Air France and Aviaco.[3]

The creation of the international airport

The increase in traffic, and the inability to enlarge Son Bonet, led the authors of the 1958 National Airport Plan to propose building a large civilian airport near the Son Sant Joan airbase. The National Airport Council approved this plan the following year and commercial traffic was transferred from Son Bonet to Son Sant Joan. This was the birth of what today is known as the Palma de Mallorca Airport. During that year, a terminal and a civilian apron were built south of the military facilities, along with a VHF communication center. Also, a VOR was installed in the island.[3]

Finally, on 7 July 1960, the airport was opened to both domestic and international traffic.[3]

Just two weeks later, expansion of the airport was declared urgent by the government, and on summer 1961 the works of extension of the runway and taxiway were started. At the end of the year, more plans were made, including a power plant, a communications centre and fire and rescue facilities.[3][6]

Growth since the 1960s

After reaching 1 million passengers for the first time in 1962, in 1965, a new terminal was constructed, and air navigation services were completed at the end of the following year. Also in 1965 Air Spain (1965 - 1975) began operating from the airport[citation needed] and a smaller terminal (today's Terminal B) was planned. Passenger numbers increased rapidly, reaching 2 million in 1965. Construction of a second runway, parallel to the existing one, was begun in 1970. Two years later, terminal B went into service, and the second runway (06L/24R) opened in 1974.[citation needed]

In 1980, the airport carried 7 million passengers. However, this increased to nearly 10 million in 1986.[citation needed] This led to the construction of yet another new terminal building, the current central terminal building. This building is now the airport's primary entrance and exit and houses the airport's checkin and baggage claim areas. Construction started in mid-1993 and it was designed by the Majorcan architect Pere Nicolau Bover. During the construction in 1995, passenger numbers exceeded 15 million. The new terminal finally opened in 1997.[7]

Development since 2000

Following a decline in passenger numbers at the airport following the September 11 attacks in 2001, passenger numbers rose steadily between 2002 and 2007 when traffic peaked at 23.2 million passengers. From 2007 onward there was a decline in passenger numbers, with 21.1 million using the airport in 2010.[1] Today, Palma de Mallorca airport carries over 29.7 million passengers[8] per year to their destinations, with 178,253 aircraft movements, mostly to mainland Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom.

In November 2015, Air Berlin (1978 - 2017) announced that it would shut down its hub operations at the airport which it had maintained for over ten years. All seven domestic connection routes to the mainland, such as flights to Valencia, Bilbao and Sevilla, as well as the route to Faro in Portugal ceased during spring 2016.[9]

During the Summer months the dual-runway airport handles as many movements as London–Gatwick. On the busiest day of the week it handles as many as 1,100 movements, almost as many as London–Heathrow, the busiest airport in Europe.[citation needed] According to the operational data provided by AENA, the airport can handle 66 movements per hour, or almost 1,600 movements over a 24-hour operational period.[citation needed]

In June 2024, torrential rains flooded the airport leading to delays.[10]

Terminals

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Apron view
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Outside view of the main terminal
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Interior of the terminal

Palma de Mallorca Airport occupies an area of 6.3 km2 (2.4 sq mi). Due to rapid growth of passenger numbers, additional infrastructure was added to the two terminals A (1965) and B (1972). This main terminal was designed by local architect Pere Nicolau Bover and was officially opened on 12 April 1997. The airport now consists of four modules: Module A (the former Terminal A Building), Module B (the former Terminal B Building), Module C and Module D (the last two were completely new sets of buildings and gates that opened along with the new central terminal and check in area in 1997). The airport can handle 25 million passengers per year, with a capacity to dispatch 12,000 passengers per hour.

Module A

The former Terminal A Building is located in the north of the airport and has blue signs. It has 28 gates of which 8 have airbridges. This is the only Module that has double airbridges attached to gates. The Pier is mainly used by flights to non-Schengen destinations including the UK and Ireland. This part of the terminal building used to be closed during winter months and is only used in the summer. For winter 2018/2019 it remained open.[11]

Module B

The former Terminal B Building is the smallest module, located in the north east and has green signs. It has eight gates located on the ground floor, of which none have airbridges. It is used by regional aircraft of Air Nostrum.

Module C

The largest of the Modules located in the east and has purple signs. It has 33 gates of which 9 have airbridges. It is used mainly by Eurowings and Condor along with EasyJet and Norwegian Air Shuttle flights to Schengen destinations. The southern area of the Module was worked on and reopened in May 2010. The refurbishment and expansion is so that the Module can handle more flights, and to improve ways to get into the pier as it is the longest walk from security control. There will also be a further eight gates with airbridges, but there will still be 33 in total.[12]

Module D

This is located in the south and has orange signs. It has 19 gates of which 10 have airbridges. All odd numbered gates are gates with a bus transfer. During the closure of the southern area of Module C, it was used mainly for flights to Europe.

Other facilities

Previously Spanair (1986–2012) had its head office in the Spanair Building on the airport property.[13] Both Futura International Airways and Iberworld had large operational offices on the premises of the airport but these are no longer in use.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Palma de Mallorca Airport:

More information Airlines, Destinations ...
AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Seasonal: Athens[14]
Aer Lingus Seasonal: Cork, Dublin
Air Algérie Algiers[15]
Air Arabia Nador
Seasonal: Tangier
airBaltic Seasonal: Riga, Tallinn (begins 13 April 2025),[16] Tampere,[17] Vilnius[18]
Air Europa Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao,[19] Granada, Madrid, Málaga, Paris–Orly, Valencia
Seasonal: Seville
Air France Seasonal: Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Air Nostrum Seasonal charter: Bergamo,[20] Bern, Bologna,[20] Bratislava,[21] Lisbon,[20] Paderborn/Lippstadt,[22] Paris-Charles de Gaulle,[20] Porto[20]
Air Serbia Seasonal: Belgrade[23]
AlbaStar[24] Seasonal charter: Bergamo, Bologna, Friedrichshafen,[25] Groningen, Inverness,[26] Milan–Malpensa, Tel Aviv,[27] Venice, Verona
Atlantic Airways Seasonal: Vagar[28][29]
Austrian Airlines Vienna[30]
Binter Canarias Gran Canaria, Tenerife–North[31]
Braathens International Airways[32] Seasonal charter: Ålesund,[33] Bergen,[33] Billund,[34] Copenhagen,[35] Haugesund,[33] Kristiansand,[35] Luleå,[35] Norrköping,[36] Oslo,[33] Skellefteå,[35] Trondheim,[33] Stavanger, Umeå,[36] Växjö[36]
British Airways London–City, London–Gatwick[37]
Seasonal: Edinburgh, London–Heathrow[38]
Seasonal charter: Belfast–City,[39] Guernsey (begins 4 May 2025),[40] Jersey, Isle of Man (begins 10 May 2025)[41]
Brussels Airlines Seasonal: Brussels[42]
Bulgaria Air Seasonal: Sofia
Chair Airlines Zurich
Condor Seasonal: Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig/Halle, Munich, Zurich
Corendon Airlines Seasonal: Düsseldorf, Hannover
Corendon Dutch Airlines Seasonal: Amsterdam
Discover Airlines Frankfurt
Seasonal: Munich[43]
easyJet Basel/Mulhouse, Berlin, Bristol, Geneva, Liverpool, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, Manchester, Milan–Malpensa
Seasonal: Amsterdam, Athens,[44] Belfast–City,[45] Belfast–International, Birmingham,[46] Bordeaux, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Lille,[47] Lisbon,[48] London–Southend,[49] Lyon, Montpellier,[50] Nantes,[44] Naples, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nice, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Porto, Prague,[51] Southampton,[52] Toulouse
Edelweiss Air Zurich[53]
Enter Air Seasonal charter: Bydgoszcz,[54] Gdańsk,[55] Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Katowice,[56] Poznań,[57] Rzeszów,[58] Warsaw-Chopin,[59] Wrocław[60]
Eurowings Berlin, Cologne/Bonn, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, Leipzig/Halle, Munich, Münster/Osnabrück, Nuremberg, Stockholm–Arlanda, Stuttgart
Seasonal: Basel/Mulhouse, Bremen, Dresden, Erfurt/Weimar,[61] Graz, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Linz, Memmingen,[62] Paderborn/Lippstadt, Prague,[63] Saarbrücken, Salzburg, Zurich
Seasonal charter: Innsbruck[64]
Finnair Seasonal: Helsinki
Freebird Airlines Seasonal charter: Paderborn/Lippstadt[65]
GetJet Airlines Seasonal charter: Vilnius
Helvetic Airways Seasonal: Bern, Zurich[66]
Seasonal charter: Sion[67]
Iberia Ibiza, Lleida, Menorca, Valencia, Vigo
Seasonal: Almería, Alicante,[68] Andorra/La Seu d'Urgell,[69] Badajoz, Castellón (begins 18 July 2025),[70] Córdoba,[71] León, Logroño,[68] Melilla, Nador, Nice, Pamplona, Reus, Valladolid, Vitoria,[68] Zaragoza
Iberia Express Madrid[72]
ITA Airways Seasonal: Milan–Linate, Rome–Fiumicino
Jet2.com Birmingham, London–Stansted, Manchester[73]
Seasonal: Belfast–International, Bournemouth (begins 2 April 2025),[74] Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh,[75] Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool,[76] Newcastle upon Tyne
Jettime Seasonal charter: Aalborg,[77] Billund, Copenhagen, Halmstad,[78] Jönköping,[78] Kalmar,[78] Karlstad,[78] Luleå,[78] Malmö, Norrköping,[78] Skellefteå,[78] Stockholm–Arlanda,[78] Sundsvall,[78] Umeå,[78] Örebro,[78] Oulu,[79] Växjö[78]
KLM Seasonal: Amsterdam[80]
Leav Aviation Seasonal: Cologne/Bonn[81]
LOT Polish Airlines Seasonal charter: Katowice,[82] Poznań,[82] Warsaw–Chopin[83]
Lufthansa Frankfurt, Munich
Luxair Luxembourg[84]
Marabu Seasonal: Basel/Mulhouse (begins 24 May 2025),[85] Cologne/Bonn (begins 11 April 2025),[86] Dortmund (begins 24 May 2025),[87] Friedrichshafen (begins 23 May 2025),[88] Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden (begins 25 May 2025),[89] Leipzig/Halle (begins 17 April 2025),[90] Münster/Osnabrück (begins 23 May 2025),[91] Nuremberg (begins 11 April 2025),[92] Rostock (begins 23 May 2025),[93] Stuttgart (begins 29 March 2025)[94]
Neos Seasonal: Bergamo, Bologna, Milan–Malpensa, Rome–Fiumicino, Verona
Norwegian Air Shuttle[95] Seasonal: Aalborg, Aarhus,[96] Bergen, Billund,[96] Copenhagen, Gothenburg,[96] Harstad/Narvik,[97] Helsinki, Oslo, Sandefjord,[96] Stavanger, Stockholm–Arlanda, Stockholm–Skavsta,[96] Växjö[96]
Seasonal charter: Bergen,[98] Oslo,[99] Stavanger,[100] Trondheim[101]
People's Seasonal: St. Gallen/Altenrhein
Play Seasonal: Reykjavík–Keflavík[102]
Ryanair[103][104] Alicante, Barcelona, Beauvais, Bergamo, Berlin, Birmingham, Bremen, Bologna, Charleroi, Cologne/Bonn, Copenhagen, Dortmund, Eindhoven, Gran Canaria, Hahn, Hamburg, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, London–Stansted, Luxembourg, Madrid, Málaga, Manchester,[105] Memmingen, Milan–Malpensa, Münster/Osnabrück, Nuremberg, Prague,[106] Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Sofia, Stockholm–Arlanda, Treviso, Valencia, Vienna, Warsaw–Chopin,[107] Weeze
Seasonal: Aarhus,[108] Belfast–International,[109] Billund, Bournemouth, Bratislava, Bristol, Brussels, Bucharest–Otopeni, Budapest, Cagliari, Cork, Dresden, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh,[110] Exeter,[111] Fès, Glasgow–Prestwick, Gothenburg, Jerez de la Frontera, Kaunas, Klagenfurt,[112] Knock, Kraków, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool, London–Luton,[111] Marrakech, Marseille, Naples, Newcastle upon Tyne, Paderborn, Pisa, Porto,[113] Poznań, Rome–Fiumicino,[106] Sandefjord, Shannon, Teesside, Tenerife–North, Toulouse, Valladolid, Verona, Vitoria,[106] Warsaw–Modlin, Wrocław, Zagreb,[114] Zaragoza[106]
Scandinavian Airlines Copenhagen, Stockholm–Arlanda
Seasonal: Gothenburg, Oslo
Seasonal charter: Bodø,[115] Haugesund,[115] Stavanger,[115] Trondheim[115]
SmartLynx Airlines Seasonal charter: Münster/Osnabrück[116]
Smartwings Prague
Seasonal: Bratislava,[117] Brno, Košice, Ostrava
Seasonal charter: Katowice,[118] Warsaw-Chopin
Sunclass Airlines[115][119][120][121] Seasonal charter: Aalborg, Bergen, Billund, Bornholm, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Jönköping, Kalmar, Karlstad, Kristiansand, Malmö, Odense, Örebro, Oslo, Stavanger, Stockholm–Arlanda, Trondheim, Visby
Sundair Seasonal: Berlin, Bremen,[122] Dresden,[122] Kassel, Lübeck
Swiss International Air Lines Geneva, Zurich[123]
TAP Air Portugal Seasonal: Lisbon[124]
Transavia Amsterdam, Paris–Orly
Seasonal: Eindhoven, Lyon,[125] Nantes, Rotterdam/The Hague
Travelcoup Seasonal: Munich,[126] Zurich[126]
TUI Airways[127] Seasonal: Aberdeen, Belfast–International, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Cork,[128] Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Humberside, Inverness,[127] Leeds/Bradford, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, London–Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Norwich,[127] Shannon (begins 6 May 2025),[128] Southampton (begins 27 May 2025),[129] Teesside[130]
TUI fly Belgium[131] Seasonal: Antwerp, Brussels, Liège, Lille, Ostend/Bruges
TUI fly Deutschland Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hannover, Munich, Stuttgart
TUI fly Netherlands Seasonal: Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Groningen
TUI fly Nordic Seasonal charter: Stockholm-Arlanda, Gothenborg-Landvetter
Uep Fly Ibiza, Menorca
United Airlines Seasonal: Newark[132]
Volotea[133] Seasonal: Asturias, Bilbao, Bordeaux, Brest, Deauville, Lille,[134] Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Salamanca, San Sebastián,[135] Strasbourg, Toulouse
Vueling[136] Alicante, Asturias, Barcelona,[137] Bilbao, Granada, Jerez de la Frontera, Málaga, Paris–Orly, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Valencia, Zaragoza
Seasonal: Amsterdam, Lisbon, Nantes, Rome–Fiumicino, Santander
Wizz Air Seasonal: Budapest, Cluj-Napoca, Katowice, London–Luton, Rome–Fiumicino,[138] Warsaw–Chopin[139]
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Cargo

More information Airlines, Destinations ...
AirlinesDestinations
Swiftair[140] Barcelona, Ibiza, Madrid, Menorca
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Statistics

Annual traffic

More information Passengers, Movements ...
Traffic by calendar year
PassengersMovementsCargo (kilos)
2000 19,424,243176,99725,156,479
2001 19,206,964169,60323,068,964
2002 17,832,558160,32920,412,784
2003 19,185,919168,98819,935,677
2004 20,416,083177,85920,408,137
2005 21,240,736182,02821,025,694
2006 22,408,427190,30422,443,596
2007 23,228,879197,38422,833,556
2008 22,832,857193,37921,395,791
2009 21,203,041177,50217,086,478
2010 21,117,417174,63517,292,240
2011 22,726,707180,15215,777,101
2012 22,666,858173,96613,712,034
2013 22,768,032170,14012,236,854
2014 23,115,622172,63011,462,907
2015 23,745,023178,25411,373,639
2016 26,254,110197,64010,452,860
2017 27,950,655208,78710,191,236
2018 29,081,787220,32910,018,045
2019 29,721,123217,2189,021,606
2020 6,108,48676,8516,732,880
2021 14.496.857141.1896.754.791
2022 28.573.364220.6907.592.108
2023 31.105.987228.9207.184.352
Source: Aena Statistics[1]
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Busiest routes

More information Rank, Destination ...
Busiest international routes from PMI (2023)
Rank Destination Passengers Change 2022 / 23
1 Düsseldorf 1,315,080 Increase 2%
2 Cologne-Bonn 905,422 Decrease 2%
3 Hamburg 876,346 Increase 9%
4 Frankfurt 848,597 Decrease 7%
5 Berlin 789,835 Decrease 1%
6 Manchester 782,656 Increase 9%
7 Munich 743,920 Increase 17%
8 Zurich 707,795 Increase 23%
9 London-Gatwick 678,690 Increase 8%
10 Stuttgart 593,796 Increase 7%
11 Vienna 534,842 Increase 1%
12 London-Stansted 481,373 Increase 24%
13 Paris-Orly 443,233 Increase 25%
14 Nuremberg 434,965 Decrease 9%
15 Bristol 426,444 Increase 22%
16 Birmingham 408,566 Increase 12%
17 Amsterdam 366,750 Increase 10%
18 Copenhagen 361,859 Steady 0%
19 Hannover 348,702 Decrease 11%
20 London-Luton 346,898 Increase 17%
Source: Estadísticas de tráfico aereo[141]
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More information Rank, Destination ...
Busiest domestic routes from PMI (2023)
Rank Destination Passengers Change 2022 / 23
1 Barcelona 2,280,516 Increase 12%
2 Madrid 2,037,990 Increase 9%
3 Valencia 710,758 Increase 11%
4 Ibiza 551,368 Increase 5%
5 Seville 480,128 Increase 11%
6 Alicante 458,178 Increase 18%
7 Menorca 387,728 Increase 8%
8 Málaga 359,957 Increase 9%
9 Bilbao 306,698 Increase 9%
10 Santiago de Compostela 233,115 Increase 22%
11 Granada 174,785 Increase 2%
12 Zaragoza 119,857 Increase 11%
13 Asturias 94,111 Decrease 6%
14 Gran Canaria 79,103 Increase 15%
15 Jerez de la Frontera 68,183 Decrease 17%
16 Valladolid 48,867 Increase 39%
17 Vitoria 48,086 Increase 29%
18 Tenerife-North 47,069 Decrease 18%
19 Santander 27,868 Decrease 41%
20 Vigo 18,590 Increase 5%
Source: Estadísticas de tráfico aereo[141]
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Accidents and incidents

See also

References

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