Málaga airport's 2nd runway to open "imminently"

Málaga airport's runway 2

According to a report in Spanish provincial daily newspaper Diario Sur, having received the necessary certification from the State Air Security Agency (AESA), confirming that it meets the requirements laid down by the International Civil Aviation Authorities on 30 April, the Málaga-Costa del Sol airport is now all set to open its 2nd runway “in a matter of weeks”.

Costing almost €400 million, work on runway 2 began in August 2007 on a plot of land almost 2 million square metres in size. Built between Terminal 3 and the Guadalhorce river, the 2,750 metre runway has a parallel taxiing area with four access strips, six exits, two connections with runway 1 and parking for 27 aircraft.

Once operational, which airport officials say will happen imminently, the second runway will increase the airport’s current capacity of 37 take-offs and landings per hour to 72 which will also increase exponentially the number of destinations served by the airport, while the number of passengers transported per hour will rise to 9,500.

The Málaga-Costa del Sol airport is only the fifth in Spain to have more than one runway. Madrid-Barajas currently has 4, Barcelona has 3, and Palma de Mallorca and Gran Canaria each have 2.