Tenerife Airport Information
Tenerife has two international airports, one in the south of Tenerife and another in the north of Tenerife.
Reina Sofia Airport
The airport in the south of Tenerife handles the vast majority of international flights and almost all of the flights from the UK. Tenerife Sur airports proper name is Reina Sofia airport and is located on the south coast in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona and was opened on 6 November 1978, by Queen Sofía of Spain.
The south airport handled over 7 million passengers in 2010. The airport was constructed due to problems with the airport in the north with bad weather conditions that persisted because of its location at altitude. This was exemplified when the world’s worst aviation distarer happened at Tenerife North in 1977 when two Boing 747’s collided on the runway in fog.
Significant improvements are being carried out to the airport terminals to keep up with the increasing air traffic demand. The airport currently offers over 100 connecting flight routes and its busiest day is on Fridays.
Tenerife south airport is about 60km from the capital Santa Cruz. The TF1 motorway that connects the south of Tenerife with Santa Cruz and the north of Tenerife passes the airport and it is about 25 minutes’ drive to Plays de las Americas from Tenerife Sur airport.
There are a number of shops and café/bars and restaurants
Buses run from the airport to the south resorts and to Santa Cruz.
Route 111: Santa Cruz and Playa de las Americas
Route 343: Puerto de la Cruz and Costa Adeje
There are also taxis available from outside the terminal to the east of the building.
The airport also has a fee paying public car park and a passenger drop off point. Car hire is available from inside the terminal from several car hire companies.
Los Rodeos Airport
Tenerife North airport handles flights from Spain mainland, Europe, North America and the other Canary Islands the busiest route being from Madrid. The airports proper name is Los Rodos airport and is located in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, 11km from Santa Cruz at an altitude of 600 meters and handled over 4 million passengers in 2010. Los Rodos has been in operation since 1930 and is where General Franco left the island to begin the Spanish civil war in 1936.
There is a selection of cafes and bars, a handful of shops and a VIP lounge in the terminal building.
The airport is accessed via the TF5 motorway that links Santa Cruz with Puerto de la Cruz.
Busses operate from the airport regularly, bus routes operating are:
Route 102 between Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz,
Route 107 between Santa Cruz and Buenavista
Route 108 between Santa Cruz and Icod de los Vinos
Route 340 between Puerto de la Cruz and Adejar in the south
Taxis are available from a taxi range outside the terminal building.
Car parking is available opposite the terminal building
