Madrid Barajas (Private Terminal)

A Legacy of Private Aviation

MAD originated in 1927 and was opened on April 22nd, 1931. However, it was only two years later that regularly scheduled commercial operations began. The first regularly scheduled flight was to Barcelona via Linnaeus Aéreas Postales Españolas. Furthermore, in the 1930s, flights began to both European and African destinations. The field was originally unpaved, and it was not until the 1940s that it was paved with new runways. In 1944, the first runway operated at 1,400 by 45 meters. By the 1950s, the airport had three runways and regularly scheduled flights to Latin America and the Philippines. The airport continued to get busier, serving over half a million passengers annually. as such, the runways were increased to five, and regularly scheduled flights to New York City began. Construction of the National Terminal (currently T2) began in 1954, opening later that year. By the 1970s, the airport served large jets, with over 1.2 million passengers annually. This was mainly due to tourism and was double the expectations in the Plan of Airports in 1957. Later in the decade, the airport had reached 4 million passengers served annually, which prompted the construction of the international terminal (now T1). Both terminals were expanded and modernized substantially to accommodate the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Further expansion occurred in the 1990s, with the first cargo terminal being constructed in 1994. Additionally, the air traffic control tower was also renovated that year. The North Dock, an exclusive terminal for Iberia's EU (Schengen) flights, was opened in 1997. A new 71-meter tall air traffic control tower was inaugurated the following year. The South Dock opened in 1997, bringing about an expansion of the international terminal as well. At this point, the South Dock and part of the international terminal were renamed T1, with the rest of the international terminal and domestic terminal now called T2. The Iberia North Dock is now called T3. Runway 18-36 was replaced in November 1998, with 4,400-meter-long Runway 18R/36L taking its place, while two parallel runways (15L/33R and 18L/36R) to the existing ones were also built, giving MAD four runways in total, allowing for simultaneous takeoffs and landings at the airport. Furthermore, in 2000 construction commenced on terminal T4 and its satellite, T4S. Construction of the new terminals and runways was completed in 2004 but only went into service on February 5th, 2006. The following year, MAD processed over 52 million passengers. In December 2010, it was announced that private-sector parties would operate MAD for the next 40 years. Moreover, on September 20th, 2012 both runways 15/33 were renamed 14R/32L and 14L/32R. In 2014, following the death of former Spanish Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez, the Spanish Ministry of Public Works and Transport decided to rename the airport in his honor, as he was the first prime minister of Spain after the restoration of democracy following the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. The first Airbus A380 landed in MAD on August 1st, 2015, from Dubai on an Emirates flight. The two Iberia lounges in Terminal 4 were renovated in late 2018, and in 2019 Aena, who operates MAD, announced plans for expansion and renovation, allowing for capacity to be expanded to 80 million annual passengers, as well as closing the architectural gap between terminals 1, 2, and 3 with the more modern T4. The budget is set at 750 million euros, with works expected from 2022 to 2026.