Malaga airport: location, destinations, and services
Location
Malaga Airport (AGP: IATA code) is officially known as Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport (or in Spanish: Aeropuerto de Málaga-Costa del Sol). This is the fourth busiest airport in Spain after Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca.
Malaga Airport is located in Southern Spain, in the region of Andalusia, and it is only 8 km away from the city of Malaga. This airport is the main gateway to the Costa del Sol region and as such has a significant impact on tourism in Spain.
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Terminals
Malaga airport has a single terminal building, known as the New Terminal or Terminal 3, that handles arrivals and departures for both national and international flights.
Previously, there were Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 but both were closed in favour of the newly constructed third terminal building.
Terminal 3 has 5 levels with level 0 being the arrivals level, the ground floor giving access to some of the gates, and level 1 being the check-in desks and departures level. A VIP lounge is located on Level 2 and it is available from 6:00 am to 11 pm.
Transport
As with almost every big tourist airport, there are many transportation alternatives that travellers can choose from to get to the city centre.
Public transport options include a train and a bus.
By train
The fastest way to get to the city is taking the train - the C1 rail line will take you downtown in 12 minutes and you can also access other key locations of Costa del Sol like Fuengirola, Benalmadena and Torremolinos. The C1 line operates from 5:42 am until 11:20 pm and the train time intervals are 20 minutes.
You can buy your ticket from the automatic vending machines in the airport and the ticket to the Malaga centre costs 1.80 Euros. The RENFE rail station can be accessed through the arrivals level and from the parking levels below.
By bus
The express line bus is just as fast as the train - the ride to the city centre takes about 15 minutes. The ticket price is 4 Euros and passengers can buy their tickets on board the bus. It is important to note that tickets can be paid in cash only.
The express line operates from 7 am to midnight and leaves from the airport every 20 to 25 minutes. The bus stop can also be accessed through the Arrivals area.
In addition, you can take intercity buses to Marbella, Estepona and Nerja, and long-distance buses to Algeciras, Motril, Granada and Seville from the Malaga airport. You can find more information about them on the airport’s website.
Taxi and car rental
Apart from the public transportation, travellers can also book a private transfer to and from the airport, take a taxi or rent a car. The taxi ride to the city centre takes about 20 minutes and costs 20 Euros on average. Keep in mind that the official taxi cars are white and have a blue stripe on the side, any other vehicles might not be from a legit service.
Renting a car is probably the best choice for getting around Costa del Sol and Malaga since it will give you the freedom to explore the area on your own time and schedule. There are quite a few options for car hire at the airport, including companies like Avis, Budget, Centauro, Europcar, Hertz, and Sixt.
Airlines and destinations
As an important summer tourist destination, Malaga is connected to numerous European cities with big airlines like British Airways, Lufthansa, Iberia, Air France, Turkish Airlines, but also with low-cost carriers like Ryanair, Wizz Air, Eurowings, and Vueling. The five busiest international routes for 2022 were London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Manchester.
Many of the European flights are seasonal, but there are also summer connections to destinations outside Europe like Kuwait City with Kuwait Airways, Doha with Qatar Airways, and Jeddah and Ryadh with Saudia.
Among the non-European destinations for all-year-round flights scheduled to and from Malaga airport are Casablanca and Tangier in Morocco, Cairo, Hurghada, and Luxor in Egypt, Montreal in Canada, and from June 2023 - Newark, New Jersey, with United Airlines.
| Notice Given | Arrival at Final Destination |
| 14 Days or More |
No compensation |
| 7-13 Days | A delay of more than 4 hours |
| Less than 7 Days | A delay of more than 2 hours |
Services
The new terminal of Malaga airport is modern and efficient and offers diverse facilities and services to the passengers who travel to and from Malaga. They have various restaurants and cafes at their disposal, many shops, including a duty free one, meeting rooms, meet and assist services, and even an art gallery. Passengers can also take advantage of a fast lane pass, a VAT refund office, a baggage wrapping machine, ATMs, etc.
In conclusion
We hope that our Malaga airport guide has been useful and informative for you and you will enjoy safe and happy travels. If, however, you encountered any problems with your flights to and from the Spanish airport, like a flight delay, cancellation, or if you were denied boarding due to overbooking, you might be eligible for financial compensation of up to 600 Euros.
The European Regulation EC 261/2004 aims to protect air passenger rights and might guarantee you a reimbursement for your flight disruption (if it was not caused by extraordinary circumstances). Claiming your compensation can be a lengthy and tedious process, so we at SkyRefund would be happy to help you make your claim and get what is rightfully yours.
You can check your eligibility with our free compensation calculator and trust us with the rest: our experienced legal team will take care of your case and communicate with the airline and the court if needed. What’s more, you will only be charged a 35% commission fee if we successfully claim your money back. Contact us in case you need to make a claim and we will ensure you have a smooth and hassle-free experience.
Did you have a delayed flight in the last 3 years?
Check your compensation for delayed flights for free!