Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Fuerteventura Airport, also known as El Matorral, sits on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura some 5 km southwest of the capital, Puerto del Rosario. It is a major international gateway with a single long, hard-surfaced runway served by ILS in both directions, making it a useful and busy destination for simulator pilots flying airliner or general aviation traffic into the Canaries.
Fuerteventura Airport (ICAO GCFV, IATA FUE), known locally as El Matorral, is the principal airport serving the island of Fuerteventura in Spain's Canary Islands. It is owned and operated by Aena and handles substantial international scheduled and charter traffic, making it a lively and instructive destination for simulator pilots wanting to fly an ILS approach into a busy island airport with full ATC services.
The airport lies at El Matorral, about 5 km southwest of Puerto del Rosario, the island's capital, on the eastern side of Fuerteventura. It sits at coordinates 28.4528N, 13.8639W and operates within controlled airspace, with approach control provided under the callsign Canarias Approach.
The airport has a single physical runway, 01/19, oriented roughly north-south, with a hard surface and runway lighting on both ends. Landing distances are published separately for each direction: Runway 01 at 7,891 ft and Runway 19 at 9,669 ft. Both directions are equipped with ILS, giving instrument approach capability from either end of the runway. Field elevation is 59 ft.
Pilots can expect the following services and frequencies: Canarias Approach on 129.3 MHz, ATIS on 118.65 MHz, Ground on 121.7 MHz, and Tower on 118.5 MHz. The runway is equipped with ILS on both 01 and 19, supporting instrument approaches in either direction.
The airport lies close to the coast on the eastern side of Fuerteventura, with Puerto del Rosario, the island's capital, some 5 km to the northeast, providing a useful landmark for pilots inbound to the field.
El Matorral Airport was officially opened on 14 September 1969. In 1973 it began operating its first flights to European destinations, with the German carrier Condor linking Fuerteventura directly with Düsseldorf. From 1994 onward the airport underwent significant development, with construction of a new terminal building, an aircraft apron, a taxiway running parallel to the runway, a new power plant, and an upgraded access road, works that allowed the airport to handle around five million passengers a year and up to 3,100 passengers per hour at peak times.
Fuerteventura Airport is operated by Aena and functions as a major international airport for the island, with scheduled and charter airline services connecting it to numerous destinations across Europe. It is a fully controlled aerodrome with approach, tower and ground services, and its single runway's dual ILS capability makes it well suited to instrument approach practice in the simulator as well as VFR arrivals in good weather.
