Spain's Prime Minister Opens New Terminal at Madrid Airport

MADRID, Spain - Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Saturday inaugurated a fourth terminal at Madrid's airport, a euro6 billion (US$7.2 billion) project aimed at turning the international hub into one Europe's largest.

"Today we inaugurate a great civil project," said Zapatero. "It is a lot more than a terminal. ... We open a bridge to America."

The terminal, designed by architect Richard Rogers, took six years to complete and doubles the size of Barajas international airport.

Served by two new runways, the terminal is expected to handle up to 89,400 travelers a day and raise Barajas' capacity to 70 million passengers a year. It will enable airlines to operate 120 takeoffs and landings per hour.

The terminal is in two large buildings covering 500,000 sq. meters (5.3 million sq. feet), one of them nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers) long, connected by underground tunnels. The roof resembles the outstretched wings of a bird.

Passengers aboard Iberia airlines flights from Lagos and Cairo in Africa were due to be the first to land at the terminal at 5:20 a.m. (0420GMT) Sunday.

The need for a new terminal to Madrid's airport became obvious when the existing three saw traffic rise from 17 million to 41.5 million in seven years from 1999.

"More than 35,000 people are employed by the airport, generating nine percent of Madrid's economy," said Zapatero, adding that the figures could be doubled in 10 years.

With the added capacity Barajas airport is set to become the 10th largest in the world, Zapatero said.

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