IATA Code: VLC
Address: Carretera Aeropuerto s/n
46940 Manises (Valencia)
Terminal Guide: Here
Distance from City: 8km
Day Trip Possible: Yes
Passenger Numbers: 4,700,000 (2008)
Closest Alternatives: Murcia
Overview: Valencia was a Ryanair base until 2008, when a row over expenses led to the airline pulling out. But there was no way it could forgo Valencia altogether – it’s all-round appeal meant it was too valuable a destination to ignore. Spain’s eighth largest airport, passenger numbers collapsed by over a million following the closure of the base, but the airline continues to serve a great amount of destinations from here. Expansion plans are afoot here to lengthen the runway, which would bring opportunities from further afield; together with a new terminal facility which may see passenger numbers rapidly increase in future.
Getting there: Although only 8km from the city, access has been greatly improved by the metro extension, which was only completed a little while ago. The result is an excellent and reliable service which gets you into the city in around 20 minutes. You can get a bus, but it takes longer and there really is not much point unless you need somewhere else. There is a train station opposite the airport for longer distance trips. Car hire and taxi are also available outside the airport and are reasonably priced.
General Tips: Excellent airport, with a relatively new facade, although it has to be said departures is slightly nicer than arrivals – with quite long queues forming. Incoming flights tend to be busy, and with only one or 2 people processing 150+ people, you only need one person to have a problem for things to back up. Inside, it’s well organised, with departures on the first floor; a large area with a few shops including a decent duty-free. There is plenty of seating; no problems with killing some time here.
Budget Travellers Guide: The row over the fees has meant two things: there are no early (ie. before 7.30am) flights and there are no sales here either, at least internationally and prices even do not often get featured tax free. Surprisingly, Easyjet just runs one route here (London-Gatwick) on which Ryanair compete; often the Stansted flight leaves at a similar time. Despite this, there are a range of good connections here; Air Berlin, Transavia, Wizz and Vueling all operate from here in a keen low-cost battlefield, with Delta’s flight to New York JFK being the standout one here.
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