Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport

For the airport serving Santiago, Chile, see Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport.
For the airport serving Santiago, Brazil, see Santiago Airport (Brazil).
Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport
Aeropuerto de Santiago–Rosalía de Castro
Aeroporto de Santiago–Rosalía de Castro
Summary
Airport typePublic/military
Owner/OperatorAENA
ServesSantiago, Spain
LocationSantiago de Compostela
Focus city for
Built1932
Elevation AMSL1,213 ft / 370 m
Coordinates42°53′47″N 08°24′55″W / 42.89639°N 8.41528°W / 42.89639; -8.41528
Websitewww.aena.es/en/santiago-rosalia-de-castro.html
Map
SCQ
Location within Spain
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
17/35 10,499 3,200 Asphalt
Statistics (2025)
Passengers3,120,759
Passengers change 24-2514.3%
Aircraft movements24,837
Movements change 24-257.9%

Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport (Galician: Aeroporto de Santiago-Rosalía de Castro, Spanish: Aeropuerto de Santiago-Rosalía de Castro) (IATA: SCQ, ICAO: LEST), previously named Lavacolla Airport and also known as Santiago de Compostela Airport, is an international airport serving the autonomous community and historic nationality of Galicia in Spain. It is the biggest and busiest airport in Galicia[1] and the 2nd busiest airport in northern Spain after Bilbao Airport. It has been named after the Galician romanticist writer and poet Rosalía de Castro, since 12 March 2020.[2]

The airport is located in the parish of Lavacolla, 12 km from Santiago de Compostela and handled 3,640,664 passengers in 2024. It is the focus city of Vueling in the northwest Iberian Peninsula. The Christian pilgrimage route of the Camino de Santiago runs near the airport.

History

The airport was set up by a group of aviation enthusiasts in October 1932 and two months directors were chosen to select where the airport was going to be built. In 1935 construction work started at the airport where two years later on 27 September 1937 the first scheduled flight from Santiago de Compostela took place. After the Spanish Civil war, political prisoners (who were held in the concentration camp of Lavacolla) were forced to work in the construction of the airport.[3]

In 1969 a new terminal was built at the airport. It later underwent several expansions, including a remodeling in 1993.

In June 1980, Iberia launched a seasonal flight to New York City on a Boeing 747. This was Santiago de Compostela's first transatlantic route.[4][5] Four months later, Viasa added non-stop service to Caracas using McDonnell Douglas DC-10s.[4] In 1981, a cargo terminal was built, giving the airport capacity to handle cargo flights. Viasa shut down in 1997, but Avensa resurrected the route to Caracas in March 1999.[4][6] United will resume intercontinental flights to the Americas with a new route to Newark starting in May 2026. [7]

On 13 October 2011, a new passenger terminal opened at the airport.[8]

Terminal

The airport currently has one operating terminal. The old terminal at Santiago de Compostela airport opened in 1969 and was often expanded. The old terminal closed on the night of 13 October 2011 when operations transferred to the new terminal.

The new terminal at Santiago de Compostela Airport officially opened on 13 October 2011 and passenger operations transferred there the following day. It is adjacent to the old terminal and has a size of 74,000 sq m. It has 22 check-in desks, three security checkpoints, four baggage carousels, and 13 gates of which 5 have airbridges. The baggage hall is split into two zones, one for Schengen flights and one for non-Schengen. It can handle as many as 4 million passengers per year.[9] The terminal is due to be expanded in the future. This includes adding another five airbridges to five of the current gates as well as three more baggage carousels and an expanded shopping area.[10]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport:

AirlinesDestinations
Aer Lingus Seasonal: Cork (begins 1 June 2026),[11] Dublin
easyJet Basel/Mulhouse,[12] Geneva[12]
Edelweiss Air Seasonal: Zurich[13]
Iberia Bilbao, Madrid[14]
Seasonal: Fuerteventura,[15] Funchal,[16] Gran Canaria, Melilla, Tenerife–North
KLM Seasonal: Amsterdam (begins 30 May 2026)[17]
Lufthansa Seasonal: Frankfurt[18]
Ryanair Lanzarote, London–Stansted, Seville (ends 28 March 2026), Tenerife–South, Valencia (ends 27 March 2026)
Seasonal: Alicante,[19] Barcelona,[19] Charleroi, Dublin, Ibiza
United Airlines Seasonal: Newark (begins 27 May 2026)[20]
Vueling Alicante, Barcelona,[21] Fuerteventura,[21] Gran Canaria,[21] Lanzarote,[21] London–Gatwick,[21] London–Heathrow,[22] Málaga,[21] Palma de Mallorca, Paris–Orly,[23] Seville,[21] Tenerife–North, Zurich
Seasonal: Amsterdam, Bilbao, Ibiza (resumes 18 June 2026), Jerez de la Frontera (begins 3 June 2026), Marrakesh (begins 27 March 2026)[24]

Statistics

During the early 2000s, numbers increased significantly at the airport, from 1.24 million in 2002 to peak at 2.46 million in 2011. Because of the financial crisis in Spain, those numbers decreased to 2.1 million in 2014, with cargo decreasing significantly during that period. The Spanish economic recovery in the mid-2010s and the rise of Santiago de Compostela as an international destination are again increasing cargo and passenger numbers, breaking the 3 million passenger mark for the first time in 2022.[25]

Traffic figures by year

Passengers handled Passengers % change Aircraft movements Aircraft % change Freight (tonnes) Freight % change
2000 1,332,893 - 19,660 - 6,773 -
2001 1,281,334 3.86% 19,084 2.92% 6,228 8.04%
2002 1,240,730 3.16% 17.362 9.02% 5,716 8.22%
2003 1,381,826 11.37% 18,454 6.28% 5,318 6.96%
2004 1,580,675 14.39% 21,593 17.00% 4,938 7.14%
2005 1,843,118 16.60% 25,693 18.98% 3,805 22.94%
2006 1,994,519 8.21% 24,719 3.79% 2,587 32.01%
2007 2,050,172 2.79% 24,643 0.30% 2,749 6.26%
2008 1,917,466 6.47% 21,945 10.94% 2,418 12.04%
2009 1,944,068 1.38% 20,166 8.10% 1,988 17.78%
2010 2,172,869 11.76% 21,252 5.38% 1,964 1.20%
2011 2,464,330 13.41% 22,322 5.03% 1,787 9.01%
2012 2,194,611 10.94% 19,511 12.59% 1,815 1.56%
2013 2,073,055 5.53% 18,688 4.21% 1,929 6.28%
2014 2,083,873 0.52% 19,431 3.97% 2,095 8.60%
2015 2,296,248 10.20% 20,540 5.70% 2,311 10.10%
2016 2,510,740 9.30% 21,227 3.60% 2,936 27.04%
2017 2,644,925 5.34% 21,520 1.38% 2,693 8.28%
2018 2,724,750 3.01% 21,839 1.50% 3,019 12.10%
2019 2,903,427 6.56% 22,396 2.55% 3,201 6.02%
2020 935,394 67.8% 10,949 51.1% 2,981 6.9%
2021 1,653,821 76.8% 15,375 40.4% 4,938 65.6%
2022 3,236,619 95.7% 25,458 65.6% 4,853 1.7%
2023 3,537,445 9.2% 25,903 1.7% 4,818 0.7%
2024 3,640,664 2.9% 26,968 4.1% 4,941 2.6%
2025 3,120,759 14.3% 24,837 7.9% 3,733 25.6%

Traffic figures by month

2025 passengers 2026 passengers Passengers % change
January 187,988 133,079 29.2
February 185,997 130,533 29.8
March 244,637 - -
April 284,639 - -
May 302,990 - -
June 310,351 - -
July 340,346 - -
August 346,012 - -
September 303,244 - -
October 276,814 - -
November 157,855 - -
December 179,886 - -

Busiest routes

Busiest international routes from SCQ (2025)
Rank Destination Passengers Change 2024 / 25
1 London-Stansted 98,227 13.27%
2 London-Heathrow 77,462
-
3 London-Gatwick 68,223 33.86%
4 Dublin 58,427 25.84%
5 Geneva 58,107 35.27%
6 Paris-Charles de Gaulle 53,767 16.57%
7 Basel/Mulhouse 45,629 16.61%
8 Frankfurt 38,331 20.03%
9 Charleroi 20,650 30.71%
10 Memmingen 20,029 3.25%
Source: Estadísticas de tráfico aereo[26]
Busiest domestic routes from SCQ (2025)
Rank Destination Passengers Change 2024 / 25
1 Barcelona 461,800 3.26%
2 Madrid 297,717 35.17%
3 Seville 275,869 2.60%
4 Palma de Mallorca 255,233 3.06%
5 Málaga 194,672 16.76%
6 Gran Canaria 185,488 0.76%
7 Tenerife-North 150,084 21.14%
8 Valencia 149,907 9.21%
9 Alicante 142,393 39.00%
10 Tenerife-South 127,717 17.97%
Source: Estadísticas de tráfico aereo[26]

Ground transportation

Road

The airport is linked with Santiago de Compostela (13 km) by the Autovía A-54. This motorway, although some sections are yet to be built and opened, also connects the airport with Lugo (94.5 km), where it connects with the Autovía A-6, providing toll-free motorway access to the rest of Spain; and to the French border through the Autovía A-8 that intersects with the Autovía A-6 near Lugo. Nearby Autopista AP-9 connects the airport directly to A Coruña (66 km), Ferrol (88 km), Pontevedra (75 km), Vigo (100 km) and the Portuguese border. Ourense (116 km) is reachable through the Autopista AP-53 that connects with the Autopista AP-9.

There are several major car rental companies at the airport. The airport has more than 5,000 short and long-term covered parking spaces in the new terminal building. In addition, there are several low-cost, long-term private parking facilities around the airport.

Bus services

A city bus service connects the airport with the center of Santiago de Compostela and the bus and train terminal in the city regularly. From the station in Santiago de Compostela, private coach operators run direct services in a multiple daily basis to most cities and towns in Galicia, including A Coruña, Ferrol, Lugo, Ourense, Pontevedra and Vigo, as well as long-distance services to the rest of Spain, and international services. In addition, three regional services link the airport directly to A Coruña, to Lugo, including several stops in the French Way of the Camino de Santiago, and to the A Mariña coastal area (home to As Catedrais beach) in the province of Lugo.

Rail

There are no rail facilities at the airport. However, the train station in Santiago de Compostela,[27] located 12 km. away, is connected to the airport by the city bus service every 30 minutes. There are combined available train+bus tickets to and from the airport. The train station in Santiago de Compostela has regional, medium and long-distance high-speed Alvia services to most cities in Galicia, including A Coruña, Ferrol, Ourense, Pontevedra, Vilagarcía and Vigo; and further to Madrid Chamartín and the rest of Spain.

Foot and bike

The Camino de Santiago runs next to the runway of the airport. This is the busiest and final journey in the Camino de Santiago that goes through the famous Monte do Gozo. There are dedicated pathways for both pedestrians and bikers towards the city. The walking distance from the runway to the Cathedral is estimated at 10.90 km.

Accidents and incidents

  • On 3 March 1978, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63 operated by Iberia from Madrid–Barajas Airport with 211 passengers and 11 crew members, registration EC-BMX. The aircraft touched down far down the runway after a high approach, aquaplaned off the runway, dropped into a hollow 20m deep and caught fire. The crash was settled with 70 injured people, 10 of them seriously injured, and no fatalities.[28]
  • On 7 June 2001, a Beechcraft B300C Super King Air 350, registration F-GOAE, departed from Le Mans-Arnage Airport (LME), France, to Santiago De Compostela Airport (SCQ), Spain, on a cargo flight according to instrument flight rules. Near the destination airport, the meteorological conditions were reported to be good, and the crew requested a visual approach to runway 17, even though the active runway was 35. Once cleared to land, the aircraft encountered a fog patch and from this moment it began a high ate descent (2000 to 3000 ft/min). A minute after entering an unexpected and unforeseen fog patch, the aircraft struck some trees in level flight and with an airspeed of 148 kt. The wings and engines detached from the fuselage, and they dragged along a scrubland area until they came to a stop. The crew suffered minor injuries and the aircraft was completely destroyed.[29]
  • On 2 August 2012, an Airnor Cessna 500 Citation I, registration EC-IBA, flying from Asturias crashed whilst on approach to the airport with the death of both crew members.[30]

References

  1. ^ Galicia
  2. ^ Deaño Santiago, Carlos (12 March 2020). "Rebautizo oficial del aeropuerto como Rosalía de Castro". El Correo Gallego. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Miles de presos construyeron obras civiles y militares en Galicia hasta 1960". 13 March 2010.
  4. ^ a b c Lorenzo, S. (24 March 2019). "Los chárter maquillan una oferta estival en Lavacolla con menos rutas exteriores". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Iberia inaugura un vuelo semanal Santiago-Nueva York". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 15 June 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Viasa's Routes to Be Shared Between Venezuelan Carriers". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones Newswires. 8 October 1998. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  7. ^ "United Adds Flights to New Cities in Croatia, Italy, Scotland and Spain next Summer". United. United. 9 October 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  8. ^ Suárez, David (2024-07-29). "El aeropuerto de Lavacolla, 89 años jugando un papel crucial en el desarrollo económico y turístico de Galicia". El Correo Gallego (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-25.
  9. ^ "New Terminal". Archived from the original on 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
  10. ^ "New Terminal Expansion". Archived from the original on 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
  11. ^ "Two new European city destinations added to Cork Airport's Summer 2026 schedule". 11 December 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Santiago de Compostela, Spain". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 967–968. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
  13. ^ "Zurich, Switzerland". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 1178–1184. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
  14. ^ "IBERIA NW24 Madrid – Europe Frequency Changes – 26MAY24". Aeroroutes.
  15. ^ "Iberia 2Q25 Santiago de Compostela – Fuerteventura Operations". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Iberia Expands Seasonal Funchal Service in 3Q23". Aeroroutes.
  17. ^ "KLM Introduces three new European summer destinations: Jersey, Santiago de Compostela, and Oviedo". KLM.
  18. ^ Liu, Jim (22 January 2024). "Lufthansa / Air Dolomiti NS24 European Network/Frequency Changes – 21JAN24". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  19. ^ a b Liu, Jim (11 September 2025). "RYANAIR NW25 SPAIN SERVICE CHANGES – 07SEP25". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  20. ^ "UNITED NS26 INTERCONTINENTAL NETWORK EXPANSION – 09OCT25". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g Liu, Jim (31 October 2024). "Vueling NW24 Frequency Changes – 27OCT24". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  22. ^ "Vueling estrenará el próximo 30 de marzo una nueva conexión entre Santiago y Londres-Heathrow". La Voz de Santiago. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  23. ^ "Vueling 4Q25 Network Additions – 03AUG25". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  24. ^ https://x.com/infoSCQ/status/2001620476205080871
  25. ^ "Annual Statistics" (in Spanish). Aena Aeropuertos S.A. Archived from the original on 27 June 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  26. ^ a b "Inicio". aena.es. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
  27. ^ train station in Santiago de Compostela
  28. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63 EC-BMX Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ)".
  29. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft B300C Super King Air 350 F-GOAE Santiago de Compostela (SCQ)".
  30. ^ Santiago de Compostela accident

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