How many airports are there in Madrid? Barajas, Cuatro Vientos and the air bases

Madrid has only one airport with commercial passenger flights: Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport. If your plane ticket says it departs from or arrives in “Madrid”, your flight operates there. The Madrid region also has other aviation facilities that do not handle scheduled passenger flights: Cuatro Vientos airport, devoted to general aviation and pilot training, and the military bases at Torrejón de Ardoz, Getafe and Colmenar Viejo.

So the answer depends on what you mean by “airport”. If we are talking about where you can catch a commercial flight, the answer is one. If we count every site with a runway or helipad where aircraft operate regularly, the figure rises to five main facilities, not counting small private airfields, microlight strips and hospital helipads.

This table sums up the five best-known facilities in the region, the type of traffic each one handles and whether an ordinary passenger can fly from it.

Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (IATA code MAD) is the capital's air gateway and the busiest airport in Spain by passenger numbers. It lies north-east of the city, within the municipality of Madrid itself, and is run by Aena. Its current name honours Adolfo Suárez, the first prime minister of Spain's democracy; before that it was simply known as Barajas airport, after the former town where it was built. If you are curious about how it grew from a small airfield into a major international hub, we tell the story in the history of Barajas Airport.

Four terminals in two areas

Barajas operates with four terminals: T1, T2 and T3, which form a single connected complex you can walk around, and T4, a separate building with its satellite terminal, T4S. A free shuttle bus links the two areas, but the transfer takes time, so it is worth knowing in advance which building you need. We explain it step by step in our guide to which Barajas terminal is yours.

How to get to Barajas

By road, the natural approaches are the A-2, the M-40 and the roads that connect directly with the terminals, such as the M-11 and the M-12. On public transport you can take Metro line 8, Cercanías (commuter rail, with a stop at T4) and an express bus from the centre. Each option has its advantages depending on your schedule and your luggage; we compare them in the article on the different ways to get to the airport.

Cuatro Vientos airport lies south-west of the capital, near Carabanchel and the towns of Alcorcón and Leganés. Its origins go back to 1911, which makes it the oldest airfield in the country. It began as a military facility and over time opened a civil side, which today is home to general aviation: private light aircraft, small business flights, helicopters and, above all, pilot schools and flying clubs. It is still shared between civil and military use.

Next to the site is the Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica, known as the Museo del Aire (air museum), a highly recommended visit if you enjoy aviation history. If you live or work in the area and have a flight to catch, a taxi from Cuatro Vientos to Barajas Airport is the most direct way to cross the city with luggage.

Torrejón Air Base

Located in Torrejón de Ardoz, east of the capital and next to the A-2, it is one of the most important bases of the Spanish Air and Space Force. It is the departure point for official flights for the Government and the Royal Household, and for decades it also hosted the US Air Force. Many people mistake it for a second Madrid airport, but it has no commercial flights. If you live there, Barajas is very close at hand: see the taxi from Torrejón de Ardoz to the airport.

Getafe Air Base

South of the capital, Getafe is home to another historic air base and, next to it, a large plant belonging to the European aerospace industry. It is a military and industrial site with no passenger traffic. To fly from the south of Madrid, the usual choice is to order a taxi from Getafe to Barajas along the M-40.

Colmenar Viejo

In Colmenar Viejo, in the north of the region, is the base of the Spanish Army's Airmobile Forces, devoted to helicopters. It does not operate civil flights either.

Other smaller airfields

The map is completed by several private and microlight airfields, as well as helipads at hospitals and emergency services. These are facilities for sport, medical or professional use, not airports where you can go to catch an airliner.

Other major European capitals split their flights between two or more airports. Madrid, by contrast, concentrates all its commercial traffic at Barajas, which has been expanded in stages: new runways, new terminals and, as the big leap, the construction of T4 and its satellite. Alternatives have been proposed over the years, but none has become a second passenger airport for the region.

For travellers this has a clear advantage: there is no possible confusion about the departure airport. The only real question is the terminal, and you can settle that by looking at your boarding pass or your airline's website. Barajas also holds plenty of little-known details, from its award-winning architecture to bird control with falcons; we gather them in fun facts about Madrid airport.

A taxi is the most comfortable option when you are travelling with suitcases, with children or at times when public transport is not yet running. We work with a fixed fare by zone, the same in both directions and regardless of traffic: from anywhere inside the M-30, for example, the journey to any terminal costs €33. We drive to all four terminals 24 hours a day, including the early hours.

And if what you need is someone waiting for you when you land, book your pickup at Barajas Airport with your flight number: we check the terminal and confirm the meeting point before you arrive.