Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (IATA: OPO, ICAO: LPPR) or simply Porto Airport is an international airport near Porto (Oporto), Portugal. It is located 11 km (6.8 mi) northwest of the Clérigos Tower in the centre of Porto, in the municipalities of Maia, Matosinhos and Vila do Conde and is run by ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal. The airport is currently the second-busiest in the country, based on aircraft operations; and the second-busiest in passengers, based on Aeroportos de Portugal traffic statistics, after Lisbon Airport and before Faro Airport. The airport is a base for easyJet, Ryanair, TAP Air Portugal and its subsidiary TAP Express.
Video Porto Airport
Location
The airport is surrounded by the municipalities of Matosinhos (to the south and west) and Vila do Conde (to the north) and Maia (to the east). It covers the parishes of Santa Cruz do Bispo, Perafita and Lavra (in Matosinhos); Aveleda and Vilar do Pinheiro (Vila do Conde); and Vila Nova da Telha and Moreira (Maia). It includes an area of between 72 metres (236 ft) in the extreme south and 43 metres (141 ft) in the north. The southern portion of the airport intersects the hydrographic watershed of the Leça River, while the north is crossed by effluents of Onda River.
Maps Porto Airport
History
The airport around Porto opened in 1945 and was initially known as Pedras Rubras Airport, after the name for the locality where the airport is located: Pedras Rubras ("red rocks"). It is still known by this name in the region.
The land on which the airport was built was originally agricultural, characterised by rich soils that permitted the cultivation of various cereals.
It was renamed in 1990 after former Portuguese prime minister, Francisco de Sá Carneiro, who died in an aero-plane crash when he was traveling to this airport on the 4th of December, 1980.
Along with the airports in Lisbon, Faro, Ponta Delgada, Santa Maria, Horta, Flores, Madeira, and Porto Santo, the airport's concessions to provide support to civil aviation were conceded to ANA Aeroportos de Portugal on 18 December 1998, under provisions of decree 404/98. With this concession, ANA became responsible for the planning, development and construction of future infrastructure.
Porto Airport reached its ninth million passenger mark on 16 December 2016.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Access
Besides taxi services and the road link, there are several public transportation links available:
Metro
The airport is served by Line E of the Porto Metro. The station has three platforms and the trains leave the arrival platform and reverse into one of the departure platforms.
The service links the airport to Porto city center, high-speed trains at Campanhã, and by transfer to other urban centres of Greater Porto: in Verdes station to Vila do Conde and Póvoa de Varzim (using line B), Fonte do Cuco station to Maia (line C), Senhora da Hora station to Matosinhos (line A), Trindade station to V.N.Gaia (line D) and Estádio do Dragão to Rio Tinto/Fânzeres (line F).
Car
Sá Carneiro airport is accessible via the A41 and A28 motorways, but also the EN13 highway (using the EN107 accessway). These roadways lead to drop-off and pick-up areas and short and long-stay car parks. It can also be reached by the A4 motorway throw the VRI accessway.
Bus
STCP buses also link the airport and the city. There is also a bus that operates all night from Porto city centre to the airport. Also there is a bus service to/from Vigo (Galicia/Spain) twice a day on weekdays, and once a day during the weekend.
Shuttle
The GetBUS shuttle provides 50 min direct connections to the towns of Braga and Guimarães. Tickets can be bought in advance on the shuttle's website.
Accolades
Airports Council International Airport Service Quality Awards voted the airport Best Airport in Europe in 2007. Additionally, it has placed in the top three of Best Airport in Europe a further nine times - winning second place in 2010, and third place in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Skytrax World Airport Awards ranks Porto Airport 5th out of the top 10 Best Regional Airports in Europe, 5th out of the top 10 Best Airports in Southern Europe, and 75th out of The Worlds Top 100 Airports for 2017.
In 2016, it was considered the 11th best airport in the world and 5th best in Europe by The Guide to Sleeping in Airports
See also
- Transport in Portugal
- List of airports in Portugal
References
Citations
Bibliography
- ANA, ed. (January 2007), Plano Director: Aeroporto Francisco Sá Carneiro [Porto] (PDF) (in Portuguese), Porto, Portugal: ANA Aeroportos de Portugal
External links
Media related to Porto International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- Accident history for OPO at Aviation Safety Network
Source of the article : Wikipedia