Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Vigo–Peinador Airport (LEVX) serves the city of Vigo in Galicia, Spain, sitting some 10 km inland from the city centre. Operated by AENA, it is a modest regional and international gateway for the region, offering a single long hard-surfaced runway with an ILS approach that makes it a straightforward but interesting destination for a simulator pilot flying into north-western Spain.
Vigo–Peinador Airport lies inland of the city of Vigo, in the Galicia–North Portugal border region, and is operated by the Spanish airport authority AENA. It began life as a customs airport project in the late 1920s and has grown into the principal air link for Vigo and the surrounding municipalities of Redondela and Mos. For a simulator pilot it offers a single long instrument runway set among the hills of Galicia, with an ILS approach and a mix of domestic and short-haul international traffic.
The airfield is situated in the municipalities of Redondela, Vigo and Mos, about 10 km from the centre of Vigo. Approach control in the area is provided under the callsign Santiago APP, with ground movements and tower services also available locally, indicating that Vigo operates within controlled airspace typical of a regional airport with instrument approach capability.
Vigo–Peinador has a single physical runway, 01/19, aligned north-south and 7,793 feet (about 2,375 m) long with a hard surface. Both directions are lit, and an ILS is available for runway 19, giving instrument approach capability into the field.
Pilots can expect the following frequencies at Vigo: Approach (Santiago APP) on 120.2 MHz, Ground on 121.7 MHz, and Tower on 118.45 MHz. An ILS serves runway 19, supporting instrument approaches to the field.
The origins of Vigo's airport lie in the late 1920s, when the Spanish government recognised the need for a customs airport in Galicia. Initially a seaplane base, described as a maritime airport, was established at nearby Cesantes beach and began operations in March 1929, while construction of a larger inland airport at Peinador got underway. Bureaucratic delays slowed progress until the Ministerio del Aire took over the project in 1947; the airport was completed by 1952 and began operations on 20 April 1954 with a 1,500-metre runway. The first scheduled route, to Madrid, was flown by Iberia using a Douglas DC-3, before being handed to Aviaco after a few months. Growth through the 1970s brought a new control tower in 1973, a new passenger terminal in 1974, an independent power plant in 1975, and apron and taxiway improvements completed in 1976. The runway was subsequently lengthened to accommodate DC-9-series aircraft, and in November 1981 the airport received its first international service, to Paris–Charles de Gaulle. Further development plans were pursued by AENA in the 2000s, including terminal expansion works approved by the board in February 2010.
Vigo–Peinador Airport remains an active AENA-operated airport, handling scheduled and charter services from carriers including Air Europa, Binter Canarias, Iberia and Vueling, with routes to destinations such as Madrid, Barcelona, Gran Canaria and Tenerife–North, and seasonal links to Palma de Mallorca and Santander. As a controlled aerodrome with tower, ground and approach services and an ILS-equipped runway, it continues to support both airline traffic and general aviation movements into the Galicia region.
