Malaga Airport…

Málaga Airport is the main airport for summer travelers to the Costa del Sol of Spain. It is 8km southwest of Malaga and 5km north of Torremolinos. Málaga Airport has flight connections to over 60 countries worldwide, and almost 13 million passengers passed through it in 2005. Málaga Airport currently operates with two terminals. A 3rd Terminal adjacent to the previous two, is currently under construction , to be opened in 2008 . A second runway is expected to open by 2010. Passenger numbers have increased consistently from levels of around 6 million in 1995 to 12,669,187 in 2005. The busiest routes are those within the EU, particularly to and from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The first scheduled air service from Málaga Airport began in 1919, when Didier Daurat began regular flights between Toulouse, Barcelona, Alicante, Tangiers, Casablanca and Malaga. In 1937, training academies for the Air Force were set up in Malaga airport, and in 1946 the airport was opened to international civil passenger flights, and was classified as a customs post. The one runway was extended in the 1960s, and a new terminal was erected in the centre of the site. During this period of development new navigational equipment was installed, including radar system at the end of the decade, in 1970. Having been known by various names throughout its history, Malaga Airport was officially given its current title in 1965. Three years later, in 1968, the new passenger terminal was opened. In 1972 a second passenger terminal was opened to specifically cater for non-scheduled traffic. An increase in companies offering package holidays (around 30 by 1965) meant that this type of traffic was providing an increasing portion of the airport's business. In 1991, the brand new Pablo Ruiz Picasso terminal was opened. This building was designed by architect Ricardo Bofill, and was built to be operated in combination with the pre-existing passenger terminal. Further development was done on Málaga Airport in the mid-90s, with the old passenger building being converted into a general aviation terminal, and a new hanger for large aircraft maintenance being built to the north of the airport site. Also constructed in this period was a terminal specifically catering to cargo traffic. A new, modern control tower was opened in 2002. Further developments, including a 3rd terminal and car park, are under construction to be opened in 2008. A second runaway will be made by 2010.