The need to fly over Lanzarote on the route from Seville to the Canary Islands will motivate the construction, in 1936, of a relief camp in the Llanos de Guacimeta; this constitutes the first step towards the creation of an airfield on the island.
In mid-1940, the Air Force approved the construction of an airfield on the island of Lanzarote, as part of a defense plan for the Archipelago. The aerodrome is located five kilometers west of Arrecife, on the Guacimeta Coast, within the municipality of San Bartolomé.
In 1946, the Lanzarote airport was provisionally opened to civilian traffic, fitting out part of the main building that housed the military detachment. One year later, the official opening to national air traffic is carried out.
During the 1950s, repair and conditioning works were carried out on the runway, an aircraft parking platform was built, and steps were taken to provide the airport with an affirmed runway.
In 1965, the Island Council of Lanzarote was assigned the construction of an affirmed runway. A provisional beacon is installed on the new runway that allows the airport to be opened to night traffic on request.
In 1969, the construction works of a new passenger terminal building, an aircraft parking lot, a connecting road, the extension of the runway, a transmitter center, a power plant, a technical block and the general urbanization were carried out. After the works, the airport is classified as second category and finally, on March 3, 1970, it is open to national and international civil passenger air traffic.
First-class airport
The constant increase in passenger traffic facilitates a new expansion and improvement of the airport. The works include the installation of a DME associated with the VOR, a VASIS in the 04/22 headlands, the entry into service of the new beacon that replaces the portable one, a fire-fighting building, a new urbanization, the expansion of the parking area. of aircraft, an express exit street, and the expansion of the passenger terminal. The new facilities allow the airport to be classified as first category for the purposes of applying airport charges.
In 1988, new expansion and renovation works were carried out at the airport to meet the existing demand. In addition, to increase operational capacity, a taxiway is built, parallel to the runway, and the parking area is expanded.
In 1999 the new passenger terminal with sufficient capacity to respond to the demand of more than seven million passengers per year was inaugurated. The infrastructures are completed with new entrances, car parks and a control tower.