Tenerife South Airport
The island of Tenerife is served by two airports, Tenerife North, formerly known as Los Rodeos, which now handles mostly domestic flights, and Tenerife South, also known as Reina Sofia Airport.
Tenerife South Airport, IATA code TFS, was opened in 1978 and is the second busiest airport in the Canary Islands after Gran Canaria, and the seventh busiest in Spain. 64 airlines operate 287 routes to 131 destinations in 27 countries, and in 2016 It handled almost 10.5 million passengers. The vast majority of passengers are from the UK followed by Germany and nearly 90% of those are holidaymakers.
Terminal Building and Facilities
The airport has a single three-storey terminal building. The departures area is at one end on level 0 and arrivals is at the other on level 0 and level -1. For departures, there are 118 check-in desks and 34 boarding gates, 8 with airbridges. Arriving baggage is handled by 15 baggage carousels.
The terminal has 20 shops and 15 outlets offering a variety of food and drinks, as well as many vending machines at various locations.
Throughout the terminal, you can access unlimited free Wi-Fi and there are internet access points in the check-in and boarding areas.
ATMs and currency exchange offices are located in the arrivals and departures halls. Additional facilities include a post office, information desks, medical assistance, lost and found, a meeting room and a conference room.
Assistance is available for people with reduced mobility or special needs, although this needs to be requested in advance.
Transportation and Parking
There is a sufficient transportation network to travel from the airport to all the major tourist destinations on the island. The most popular services are by Bus are Taxi.
- Bus - There are four bus services connecting the airport to some of the island's resorts, the capital city of Santa Cruz and Tenerife North Airport. Connections can be made to other locations around the island at various points on these routes. The bus stop is directly outside the arrivals hall. More information is available here.
- Shuttle - Tour company buses and private and shared transfer shuttle buses park in the coach park in front of the terminal.
- Taxi - Taxis are available twenty-four hours a day from the taxi rank, which is close to the exit from the arrivals hall at the end of the terminal building. Find out more here.
- Train – Tenerife does not have a rail network.
- Car Hire - The car rental offices are located in the arrivals hall on level one and in the baggage reclaim area on level -1. Find out more information here.
- Parking - The car parks, with spaces for 2,519 vehicles, are a short walk from the terminal building. Most of the spaces are covered and there are disabled parking spaces at convenient locations. Find out more here.
Airport History
Tenerife's original airport, Los Rodeos, is located in the north of the island, near San Cristóbel de la Laguna and within easy reach of the capital city, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
However, with the huge increase in international tourist traffic in the 1960s, and with Los Rodeos frequently being subject to foggy or misty weather conditions, it was decided that it had become inadequate. The decision was made to build a new facility in the south of the island close to the main tourist resorts.
Tenerife South Airport was opened in November 1978 by Queen Sofia of Spain and named Reina Sofia Airport in her honour.
Generally, all international flights to Tenerife are handled by Reina Sofia, while Los Rodeos mostly handles inter-island flights and those from the Spanish mainland.