IATA Code: PMI
Address: 07611 Palma
Terminal Plan: Here
Day Trip Possible: Yes
Passenger Numbers: 21,200,000 (2009)
Closest Alternative: Valencia, Alicante
Overview: Palma has always been a busy airport since ‘Majorca’ became popular as a tourist destination decades ago and at over 20,000,000 passengers a year, this puts it in the category of one of Ryanair’s biggest airports. The trade is mostly all tourist related, although with many ex-pats, the demand sees the Palma flights operate all year around. Although the new terminal building was opened in 1997, there are now plans afoot to expand the airport even further to a provisional capacity of 32,000,000 pax by 2015, and with much of the infrastructure already in place, it’s a fair bet that they may achieve it.
Getting there: At 8km from the city of Palma, this is not a difficult place to reach, and many people with the charter holidays will have transfers already sorted out. There are two bus services that serve the airport; one taking you into the city of Palma (2 Euros) and one serving the tourist resort of Marbella and the surrounding areas – if you are lucky enough to be staying at a hotel the bus serves. Otherwise, taxi is cheap enough and car hire is plentiful at the airport as you would expect from one of this size.
General Tips: Although notionally 4 terminals, there are only two buildings: one is reserved for the domestic flights where as the international flights are from zones B, C and D. If you’re international, you will be in the newer building and this is excellent; very spacious and thankfully, the climate is controlled to be pretty cool. One of the few times, that at night, it’s actually better to sit outside than in. Seating is spacious and fine even at the gates; perhaps harking back to a previous era. Excellent array of shops and restaurants here, with many high-street names like McDonalds and Pizza Hut, although you may wish to consult the map here (PDF, 3.5MB) as there is a split between/after security, meaning that once you do pass through, some are not accessible and vice-versa.
Budget Travellers Guide: Good potential for a decent holiday here. Flights are available all year round from Easyjet and Ryanair, and if you include the charters, most regional airports from the UK will be served. Fellow low-costs Air Berlin, Air Europa, BMIBaby, Germanwings, Jet2, and Transavia are here, giving a real fantastic choice of destinations. Rather strangely, a Heathrow link is not availabe, with British Airways choosing to use City with their Cityflyer brand. Flights are likely to be expensive in the summer due to demand, but out of season, you may be able to get a bargain – if it appears in the sales, it is a great destination to do.
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