Barajas
airport in Madrid serves as the gateway to the Iberian peninsula from the
rest of Europe and the world, particularly Latin America. In 2005, 41,963,197
passengers used Barajas; it ranks as the world's 12th, and Europe's 5th
busiest airport. Barajas is the primary hub and maintenance base for Iberia
Airlines. Consequently, Iberia is responsible for around 60 percent of
Barajas' traffic. On February 5, 2006, the immense Terminal 4 was inaugurated,
making Barajas the world's largest airport, in terms of terminal
area, with an area of more than one million square meters (11 million square
feet). With the new addition, Barajas is designed to handle 70 million
passengers annually.
October
2006. Terminal 4 designed by British architects Richard Rogers Partnership,
has won the 11th RIBA Stirling Prize in association with The Architects'
Journal. |
