With five terminals and four runways and well over 50 million passengers flying through it each year, Madrid Airport is the largest and busiest in Spain. In this post, you’ll find a quick guide to Madrid Airport Terminals and travel between them.
As well as being Spain’s largest and busiest airport, Madrid Airport is an important aviation hub, connecting much of the world with Spain. It boasts five terminals and four runways with 50 million plus passengers a year.
Once in Madrid, you’ll find amazing food from all over the country, first-rate museums and a passion for Spain’s traditions like flamenco. It also makes a great base for further exploration of Spain’s heart. Historic towns such as Toledo, Segovia and Aranjuez are all just an hour’s drive from the capital.
Madrid Airport Terminals
Madrid’s five terminals are located in two different sites. Terminals T1, T2 and T3 sit side-by-side roughly 5kms south of T4 and T4S (a satellite terminal for T4). T4 and its satellite building only opened in 2006 and won the architects behind the design the Stirling Prize. Deservedly so too! Tt’s probably the coolest and most amazing piece of airport design I have seen so far. And I’ve seen a lot of airports!
Madrid Airport T4 and T4S
T4 uses lots of glass and natural light, which makes it feel like a pleasure to travel through. It’s also huge and home to big players such as Iberia, British Airways and other members of the Oneworld alliance. A number of other airlines including Vueling and Emirates also use T4.
T4 and its satellite building are actually 2.5kms apart with a driverless underground train connecting the two lasting three minutes. And although your flight might land or depart of T4S, you’ll need to go through T4 to check-in and collect your luggage. You’ll also need to go to T4 to get the airport shuttle bus to Terminals T1, T2 and T3. It’s also in T4 where you’ll find onward transport options such as the Metro, buses, taxis and car hire.
Madrid Airport T1, T2 and T3
T1, T2 and T3 are used by SkyTeam and Star Alliance airlines including Air France, Lufthansa and Delta Airlines. You’ll also find low-budget airlines such as easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Eurowings and Transavia.
The three terminals are connected so you could walk from one to the other on foot. The airport shuttle bus does also stop at each of them as well as T4. Check-in desks are only in T1 and T2. The car hire desks are in T1. And the Metro station for all three terminals is outside T2. Taxis and buses stop outside both T1 and T2.
So which terminal do you need?
Departures at Madrid Airport
If you’re not sure which terminal you need, you’ll find a list of which airlines use which terminal at the official website for Madrid Airport by AENA.
Travel between Madrid Airport terminals
The airport shuttle bus operates 24 hours a day and does two routes: from T1 to T4 and from T4 to T1. Make sure you take the shuttle in the right direction! Otherwise you could end up going around to all of them before reaching the right terminal.
Airport shuttle bus stops
From T1 to T4:
- T1: departures level on floor 1
- T2: departures level on floor 2
- T4: departures level on floor 2
From T4 to T1:
- T4: arrivals level on the ground floor
- T3: arrivals level on the ground floor
- T2: arrivals level on the ground floor
- T1: south dock and low-cost car park
- T1: departures level on floor 1
Flight connection at another terminal
If you’re in transit and need to connect to a flight at another terminal, there is also a bus that goes between the departures lounges of the various terminals too.
AENA has a map of transport connections between the terminals, which you can download here: AENA Madrid Airport Transport Connections.
Madrid Airport car hire
Here’s our guides to collecting and returning a car hire at Madrid Airport:
More on Madrid Travel
For more information on travelling around Madrid and Spain, visit our sister sites: Madrid-Atocha and TrainSpain.