Aena Approves Runway Renovation at Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport
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The Aena Board of Directors has approved the bidding process for the runway pavement regeneration at Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport, with a budget of €31.6 million and an estimated completion time of 15 months. While most of the work will be carried out at night, the runway is expected to be completely closed for 35 days in 2026, from April 23 to May 27, in coordination with airlines and authorities.
Project Details
The renovation involves 1.23-meter-deep pavement regeneration in four specific areas, covering 22,040 square meters. The rest of the airfield will undergo a less extensive renewal. According to Aena, the project aims to enhance pavement quality and extend its lifespan. To achieve this, 75,000 tons of new pavement will be used, mainly produced at two temporary asphalt plants within the airport to ensure supply and minimize road transport.
To reduce the impact on air traffic, the airport will close nightly from 11:30 PM to 5:30 AM for 24 weeks in 2026, in addition to the 35-day full closure. Aena has notified airlines well in advance to allow schedule adjustments.
The project also includes upgrades to the airfield's lighting and drainage systems, featuring:
- 28 km of primary cable,
- 76 km of secondary cable,
- 3.4 km of conduit banks,
- 888 new LED beacons, and
- 6.5 km of new drainage channels to improve energy efficiency.
ILS System Upgrade
Alongside the runway renovation, Aena will invest €1.4 million to upgrade the Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) at both runway ends. The Category II/III ILS at Runway 17 will be replaced in May, aligning with the daytime closure. Meanwhile, the Category I ILS at Runway 35 will be upgraded between August and September, resuming operation in early October.
The last similar renovation at Santiago Airport took place in 2008, though on a smaller scale than the upcoming project.
Passenger Traffic at Santiago Airport
In 2024, Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport handled 3.64 million passengers, a 2.9% increase from 2023 and 25.4% higher than in 2019, before the pandemic. This ranked it 16th among Spain’s busiest airports.
Regarding flight operations, the airport managed 26,968 flights, 4.1% more than in 2023 and 20.4% above 2019, placing it 19th nationwide.
Currently, the airport is connected to 19 destinations through four airlines:
| Destination | Airlines |
|---|---|
| Alicante | Vueling, Ryanair |
| Barcelona | Vueling, Ryanair |
| Bilbao | Iberia |
| Basel | EasyJet |
| Paris-CDG | Vueling |
| Fuerteventura | Vueling |
| Geneva | EasyJet |
| London-Gatwick | Vueling |
| Lanzarote | Vueling, Ryanair |
| Gran Canaria | Vueling, Ryanair |
| Madrid | Iberia, Ryanair |
| Málaga | Vueling, Ryanair |
| Palma de Mallorca | Vueling, Ryanair |
| London-Stansted | Ryanair |
| Seville | Vueling, Ryanair |
| Tenerife North | Vueling |
| Tenerife South | Ryanair |
| Valencia | Ryanair |
| Zaragoza | Ryanair |
According to Aviacionline, citing Cirium data, Ryanair accounts for 42.6% of seat capacity at Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ), followed by Vueling (39.5%), Iberia (14.6%), and EasyJet (3.3%).
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