Porto Airport
Porto Airport, or Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport, is located 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) northwest of Porto, in the municipalities of Maia, Matosinhos and Vila do Conde in Portugal. The airport is currently the second business in the country based on passenger numbers, just behind Lisbon airport and in front of Faro airport.
In 2016, there were 9,378,000 passengers who passed through the airport, from 93,468 flights. This is an increase from 8.03 million passengers in 2015 and 6.93 million passengers from 2014. Over the past 20 years, the passenger numbers have steadily increased, starting at 1.97 million in 1996. More passenger number statistics are available here.
The airport was first opened in 1945 and was known for many years as 'Pedras Rubras Airport'. This name, which translates to 'red rocks', comes from the area the airport is situated. In 1990, the airport was renamed to Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport, after the prime minister of Portugal was killed in a plane crash whilst travelling to this airport.
The Terminal Building
There is only has one terminal, but it is very modern and has won numerous awards. The awards include a 1st for the best airport in Europe for its size in 2016, as well as a 3rd for the best overall airport in Europe in 2016. The terminal was rebuilt between 2003 and 2006 and commissioned in late 2006. The terminal now boasts 60 check-in desks, 22 boarding gates, 9 airbridges and 4 baggage carousels.
You will find three floors in the terminal; the ground floor has the arrivals hall and baggage reclaim, the first floor has the departures lounge, shops and the boarding gate, whilst the second floor is for departures hall and check-in desks.
Thanks to the renovations, the airport now has state of the art facilities and numerous shops for passenger convenience. There is also free unlimited Wi-Fi throughout the terminal and can be accessed by connecting to the "VINCI Airports WiFi" network, as well as numerous computers that are free to use and browse the internet.
Some of the well-known shops are listed below. If you would like to see all the shops, please visit this page.
- Attitude
- Fashion Gate
- Lacoste
- Pandora
- Springfield
- Sunglass Hut
- Swarovski
- Tumi
- Victoria's Secret
There are also numerous places to eat and drink including Burger King, Caffriccio, Costa Coffee, Italian House, Sushi Passion and La Pausa. All the restaurants can be seen here.
Airline Operators
The airport is a hub for easyJet, Ryanair and TAP Portugal. As well as these airliners, many other airlines offer flights including Iberia, Lufthansa, Luxair and Vueling. Ryanair offer the highest number of flights, with over 20 routes that includes Barcelona, Bergamo, Berlin Schönefeld, Brussels, Cologne, Copenhagen, Dublin, Eindhoven, Krakow, Las Palmas,Liverpool, Madrid, Marseille, Milan Malpensa, Palma de Mallorca, Paris Beauvais Tille, Ponta Delgada, Stansted, Strasbourg and Valencia.
You can find a list of all the operating airliners and which routes are offered here.
Transportation
The airport is highly rated for its transport links, making it very easy for tourists and locals to reach the city in less than 30 minutes, as well as frequent links to the surrounding areas. Perhaps the easiest way is by Metro, but buses, taxis and shuttles offer vast routes and good prices.
- Metro: You can reach the city centre by travelling on the Violet (E) metro line. The metro is a frequent, low-cost service and highly recommended. Trains depart every 20 minutes and cost approximately €1.95. You can read more about the metro here.
- Taxi: Taxis provide an efficient way to get to the city centre if you have lots of luggage. There are several different taxi companies located in the arrivals hall and the taxi rank is situated just outside the main doors. You can read more about taxis here.
- Bus: The airport is served by local SCTP buses offering numerous route. The cost is higher than the metro to reach the city centre, so if the metro reaches your destination, it is a better option. Independent shuttle buses offer direct links to Braga and Guimarães in 50 min. You can read more about bus routes and costs here.
How to Contact the Airport
Porto airport is operated by ANA, the operator of 10 airports in Portugal. You can contact the airport at the following:
Francisco Sa Carneiro International Airport
Pedras Rubras
4470 Maia
Portugal
Email: flyopo@ana.pt
Phone: (+351) 229 432 400