Santiago airport closure

Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport shut to all air traffic on April 23 and will stay closed until May 27 while crews rebuild its runway. (aena.es) Aena, Spain’s airport operator, said the closure lasts 35 days and covers the most complex phase of a deeper runway pavement renewal that began on January 13. No takeoffs or landings will operate during that window. (aena.es) The project is larger than a resurfacing pass. Aena said the €26.613 million contract also includes new airfield lighting, drainage work, ground leveling in safety areas and replacement of the airport’s instrument landing systems. (aena.es) Santiago is Galicia’s busiest airport, so the shutdown lands well beyond one city. The airport handled 3,120,759 users and 24,837 flights in 2025, including 3,107,587 commercial passengers. (aena.es) Aena said airlines have already shifted part of Santiago’s usual schedule to A Coruña and Vigo. The terminal’s public areas and parking remain open during the runway closure, even though flight operations are suspended. (aena.es) The timing was chosen to avoid Santiago’s peak passenger season and to give crews more reliable weather for paving work. Aena said the runway job will use about 73,000 tonnes of asphalt, repaint 13,600 square metres of markings and install about 900 LED airfield lights with more than 100 kilometres of cable. (aena.es) For travelers, the disruption reaches into one of northwest Spain’s main gateways for Galicia and Santiago de Compostela, the city that anchors the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. Euronews reported that airlines including Ryanair, Vueling and Iberia serve the airport and that passengers have been told to check directly with their carriers about rebooking and schedule changes. (euronews.com) Euronews said A Coruña is about a 50-minute drive from Santiago and Vigo about 90 minutes away, making them the main fallback airports during the closure. For the next five weeks, that detour is the new front door to much of Galicia. (euronews.com)