kids encyclopedia robot

Zaragoza Airport facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Zaragoza Airport

Aeropuerto de Zaragoza
Aena Zaragoza.svg
Aeropuerto de Zaragoza 2.jpg
Summary
Airport type Public and military
Owner/Operator Aena
Location Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain
Elevation AMSL 263 m / 863 ft
Coordinates 41°39′58″N 01°02′30″W / 41.66611°N 1.04167°W / 41.66611; -1.04167
Website aena-aeropuertos.es
Map
ZAZ is located in Spain
ZAZ
ZAZ
Location in Spain
Runway
Runway Length Surface
m ft
12R/30L 3,718 12,200 Concrete
12L/30R 3,024 9,921 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Passengers 467,774
Passengers change 18-19 Decrease 4.4%
Movements 10,797
Movements change 18-19 Increase 10.7%
Cargo (t) 182,659
Cargo change 18-19 Increase 9.5%
Sources: AENA [1]

Zaragoza Airport (Aragonese and Spanish: Aeropuerto de Zaragoza; (IATA: ZAZICAO: LEZG)) is an international airport near Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain. It is located 16 km (9.9 miles) west of Zaragoza, 270 km (170 miles) west of Barcelona, and 262 km (163 miles) northeast of Madrid. In addition to serving as a major cargo airport, it is also a commercial airport and, as Zaragoza Air Base, is the home of the Spanish Air and Space Force 15th Group.

History

Zaragoza airport view 7424
Aerial view
Zaz-diagram
Airport diagram

During the Cold War, the United States Air Force (USAF) used the facility as Zaragoza Air Base.

The construction work on Zaragoza Airport began in September 1954 with the enlargement and improvement of the existing Spanish Air Force Base located there. United States Navy engineers upgraded the facility for temporary or intermediate use as a war standby base. The first U.S. construction project included strengthening the existing 3,024 m (9,921 ft) runway and adding 304 m (1,000 ft) overruns at each end. Work on a new concrete runway, 61 by 3,718 metres (200 ft × 12,200 ft), with 61 m (200 ft) overruns at each end, began in 1956 and was completed in 1958.

Zaragoza was one of three major USAF Cold War airbases in Spain, the others being Torrejón Air Base near Madrid and Morón Air Base near Seville.

The airport was also used by NASA as a contingency landing site for the Space Shuttle in the case of a Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL). Zaragoza was chosen as a NASA Space Shuttle TAL site due to its long runway, which needs be longer than 7,500 feet, its pleasant weather, and alignment with Shuttle launches to the high-inclination International Space Station orbit. The base also has a military-grade navigation system called a TACAN—"Tactical Air Navigation"—that can adapt to the special guidance devices NASA used with its shuttles.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines Destinations 
Binter Canarias Gran Canaria, Tenerife–North


Iberia Seasonal: Gran Canaria (begins 21 July 2023), Ibiza, Menorca (begins 21 July 2023)


Ryanair Beauvais, Bergamo, Charleroi, Lisbon, London–Stansted, Marrakesh, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela
Seasonal: Bologna, Treviso


Volotea Seasonal: Menorca


Vueling Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife–North
Seasonal: Lanzarote, Paris–Orly


Wizz Air Bucharest–Otopeni, Cluj-Napoca

Cargo

Airlines Destinations 
AirBridgeCargo Moscow–Sheremetyevo (suspended)


Air China Cargo Amsterdam, Shanghai–Pudong, Tianjin


Atlas Air Istanbul, Mexico City, Miami, Tel Aviv, Zhengzhou


Avianca Cargo Amsterdam, Bogotá, Miami


Cargolux Luxembourg


China Cargo Airlines Amsterdam, Shanghai–Pudong


Emirates SkyCargo Dubai–Al Maktoum, Mexico City, Quito


Ethiopian Cargo Addis Ababa, Bogotá, Guangzhou, Liège, Mexico City, Miami


Qatar Airways Cargo Beirut, Chicago–O’Hare, Dhaka, Doha, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Luxembourg, Mexico City, New York-JFK, Quito


Saudia Cargo Dammam, Riyadh

Statistics

Zaragoza Airport – Traffic Information
Year Passengers (change) Movements (change) Cargo tons (change)
2011 751,097 (+24.0%) 11,970 (-5.9%) 48,609 (+14.3%)
2012 551,406 (-26.6%) 9,268 (-22.6%) 71,094 (+46.1%)
2013 457,284 (-17.1%) 7,597 (-18.3%) 71,661 (+0.7%)
2014 418,576 (-8.5%) 7,039 (-7.3%) 86,311 (+20.4%)
2015 423,873 (+1.3%) 7,050 (+0.1%) 85,741 (-0.8%)
2016 419,529 (-1.0%) 7,269 (+3.1%) 110,564 (+29.0%)
2017 438,035 (+4.4%) 7,965 (+9.6%) 142,185 (+29.1%)
2018 489,064 (+11.6%) 8,991 (+12.9%) 166,834 (+17.3%)
2019 467,774 (-4.4%) 8,770 (-2.5%) 182,659 (+9.5%)
2020 172,344 (-63.2%) 6,559 (-25.2%) 143,600 (-21,4%)

Ground transport

Currently, the airport is connected to the city center by a bus line (501), which goes from the Puerta del Carmen square, downtown, to the airport, also stopping at the city's main railway station: Zaragoza-Delicias. This train station is an important hub for long-distance trains, AVE high-speed trains and the commuter line of Cercanías Zaragoza, which takes passengers underground through the city and overground in the metropolitan area. In February 2023, Zaragoza mayor's office confirmed plans to create a direct bus service "on demand" from June 2023. This line will be serviced by electric buses to start and will significantly reduce journey distances and the duration (it will be about 12 or 13 kilometers depending on the direction). Schedules of these buses will be coordinated with those of the flights scheduled at the airport.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Aeropuerto de Zaragoza para niños

kids search engine
Zaragoza Airport Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.