You’ll learn about the local airports in the Canary Islands, where to check online flight schedules, how to get to or from the airports. I’ll tell you about the nuances of airports on Tenerife and why they are convenient. Plus, I’ll provide coordinates on the map for each airport, where civilian airplanes, and therefore tourists, are arriving today.

Airports in the Canary Islands: General Information

Since the Canaries are an archipelago of 7 relatively small islands that require excellent transportation between them, aviation connections are well-developed here, with nearly a dozen active airports in the archipelago.

Key points to know:

The primary connection between the islands and the mainland, as well as the transportation of all goods, is handled by ferry services. There are plenty of ferries that run frequently. However, ferry travel is slow and can cause seasickness due to ocean motion. To enhance passenger transport, considerable effort has been put into air travel between the islands and the construction of necessary infrastructure. Nowadays, traveling by plane is not more expensive than by ferry. It’s worth noting that ferry tickets are not cheap :).

Useful article about public transport between the Canary Islands. You’ll learn about ferry and airline companies, where to buy tickets, and find out prices and schedules.

Airports in the Canary Islands
Around 95% of all flights between the archipelago’s islands are operated by twin-engine ATR-72 aircraft carrying 40-60 passengers.

Here are some general facts about airports in the Canary Islands:

  • There is an airport on each of the seven islands.
  • There are two main local carriers: Binter and CanaryFly.
  • Both carriers operate ATR-72 turboprop aircraft between the islands (see photo above).
  • Such aircraft only fly between the Canary Islands. Regular Airbus and Boeing aircraft operate flights to Europe, Africa, and other countries.

What tourists need to know about local airports

Here’s the thing: on paper, all airports in the Canary Islands are classified as international. But in reality, it could be a small airport amidst mountains with a short runway and 5-6 flights a day. And it gained international airport status because once a week for 2 months a year (in summer), a charter flight arrives here, for example, from Portugal.

Interesting to know:

An airport is considered international if it receives at least one regular flight from another country.
  • The runway length at La Gomera’s international airport is only 1500 meters. This is very short by modern standards. To accommodate passenger aircraft of any size, the runway should be about 2700-3300 meters long.
list of airports canaries
All ATR-72 flights operate at altitudes of 2-4 km and on almost any route between any of the islands, the Teide volcano on Tenerife, the highest peak in Spain, is visible. In the photo, we are flying from La Palma to Gran Canaria, and Teide is visible through the window.

Every local airport on any island has all the necessary infrastructure. Car rentals, cafes, luggage storage, parking lots – almost everywhere are free, except for Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

List of all airports in the Canaries: coordinates, websites, online flight boards

Canary Islands Airports: table and all necessary information. If the runway length is more than 2400 meters, then planes from Europe definitely land here. To find out how to travel to the Canaries cheaply, which European cities and others have direct flights, what the optimal route is, read the article: How to fly to the Canary Islands

IslandIATARunway, mMapPassenger flow, million people
Tenerife SouthTFS3200click7,3
Tenerife NorthTFN3170click4
Gran CanariaLPA3000click10,3
LanzaroteACE2400click3,4
FuerteventuraFUE3400click5,6
La PalmaSPC2200click1
La GomeraGMZ1500click0,1
El HierroVDE1250click0,17
All airports in the Canary Islands

It’s a convenient website; click on the airport you’re interested in, and the airport’s website will open. There you’ll find online arrival and departure boards, schedules, and bus routes to/from the airport. Lots of useful information.

How to leave the airport in the Canary Islands?

A very common question from any traveler. And it doesn’t matter if you’re arriving at the main airport in Tenerife or a small local airport on the island of La Gomera, everyone needs to leave the airport. Here are the main points:

  • Car rental points are available at every airport. Everything about car rental in the Canaries, nuances, features, and personal experiences. The process is comfortable, inexpensive, and the majority of tourists choose it.
  • Taxis. Taxis are available on-site; you’ll definitely find them at major airports, but not always at smaller ones, so it’s better to book in advance. Expect to pay around 1.5-2 euros per kilometer, but not less than 20 euros for a transfer from the airport. Here are some useful links:
    • Article about taxis and airport transfers in the Canary Islands: learn about taxi services, whether it’s safe to hail a taxi on-site, and much more.
    • An international transfer service operates at airports, including the Canary Islands, but not at all of them, so check your dates and islands: Intui.
  • Additionally, buses run from any airport to major cities and resorts on the island. Each island has its own bus company, website, and peculiarities. In this guide’s menu, you’ll find reviews of each island. There you’ll find links to bus company websites on each island, where you can check schedules and routes.

Tip:

If you plan to take the bus, make sure to confirm information in advance. It might turn out that where you booked your accommodation, there are no buses, or you can only get there with transfers. On average, bus fare on all islands to or from the airport is 3-3.5 euros per trip.
canary airports
This is the arrivals board at La Gomera Airport. Only 5 flights a day. And buses on such islands run precisely to match flights. If you miss the bus, there might not be another one today at such an airport.

Airports on Tenerife: Important for Tourists

This section is for those who arrive on vacation in the Canary Islands at an airport in Tenerife, which is almost half of all tourists.

What you need to pay attention to, importantly:

  • Tenerife is the only island with two airports: Tenerife South and Tenerife North. They are located in different parts of the island.
  • Both airports handle international flights. And both have very similar IATA codes: TFS and TFN.

Important:

Always pay close attention to where you’re arriving or from which airport you’re departing. It’s very common for tourists to confuse airports, arrive at the wrong one, and miss their flight. Or they booked a car rental or transfer at one airport but arrived at another. Such mistakes can significantly impact your wallet! Double-check which airport exactly.
canary airport arrival and departure
On flights between the islands, there are even seats facing each other (usually the first row), like in a minibus. In essence, this is an aviation minibus, just without handing your fare to the driver.

A few tips to help:

  • The main and largest international airport in Tenerife is Tenerife South (TFS). It mainly serves international flights. If you’re flying to any country other than Spain, such as Poland, France, and so on, chances are you’ll depart from South Tenerife.
  • Tenerife North is considered a local airport. If you have a flight to a neighboring Canary Island, 99% of the time, you’ll fly from the northern airport.
  • But if you’re flying from Tenerife to mainland Spain, such as Madrid, chances are the flight will be from the northern airport. But double-check this information as flights to mainland Spain also depart from the southern airport.
  • TFS – Tenerife SOUTH
  • TFN – Tenerife NORTH
  • If you confuse the airports, keep in mind that taking a taxi will cost you almost 70 km and an hour (if there are no major traffic jams). And a taxi ride will cost between 50-100 euros depending on how urgently you need it. By bus, it takes about one and a half hours!

Everything about renting a car specifically in Tenerife, where it’s better and cheaper.

In conclusion: The Canaries are Spain and Europe, so airports in the Canary Islands, even on a small island like El Hierro, are not tents in a field like in Egypt. Airports in the Canary Islands have all the necessary infrastructure for tourists; there’s public transport, car rental, waiting lounges, and operating cafes, even where there are only 4-5 flights a day.

Useful links to help you plan your dream trip to Canary Islands:

  • Car Rental: LocalRent or DiscoverCars – the most popular car rental platforms.

  • Accommodation:
    • Trip.com – the largest accommodation booking platform.

    • or TripAdvisor – to compare prices among other platforms and choose the best one.

  • Budget-friendly vacation packages to Spain and Canary Islands: CheapOair.

  • Tours and activities: GetYourGuide or Viator – hundreds of offers, whales and dolphins, entrance tickets with discounts.

  • eSIM and internet: Airalo.

  • Flights: WayAway compares prices among dozens of companies.

  • Travel Insurance: EKTA.