Malaga Airport to introduce new operating model to streamline bus traffic

The new system is likely to launch this coming November. It stipulates that the first 60 minutes of parking will be free for buses and minibuses.

Apetam states that, according to figures provided by the airport management, "current average parking times mean that most operations can happen within the free period or at a very low cost".

The new system will be fully automated via an intelligent access control system that will automatically allocate available stations, update the information on the screens and allow all operations without the driver having to leave the vehicle.

The system "will have backup mechanisms to prevent technical faults and will offer various payment and billing options tailored to transport companies".

During the meeting, the airport management presented the trends in passenger traffic, which has shown a year-on-year growth of between four and five per cent, underpinning Malaga Airport's position as one of Spain's main air travel facilities.

Malaga Airport is currently at the design stage of its expansion, but construction work on site will not start before 2029.

The project costs 1.5 billion euros. It will almost double the airport's floor area, increasing it from the current 80,000 square metres to around 140,000 square metres.

Broadly speaking, the work involves the demolition of Terminal 1, which is no longer in use, and the non-Schengen flight terminals, namely the current Terminals B and C.

The first contract for this long-awaited expansion focuses on the architecture of the terminal area and will run for 60 months (five years). It has a budget of 36.5 million (36,525,000) before tax, which will actually amount to 44,195,250 including IVA.

Following this week's meeting, director of Apetam Antonio Vázquez Olmedo said: "We have found a management team that is open to dialogue, receptive to the sector's proposals and clearly willing to collaborate. We share the same objective: achieve increasingly efficient operations that benefit both transport companies and the millions of passengers who use Malaga Airport every year."

Key commitments include "improving the registration number recognition system to prevent vehicles from being blocked, adapting the system so that buses are not penalised for consecutive re-entries, increasing staffing levels during peak traffic hours and exploring technological solutions to improve traffic flow at access points".

Vázquez Olmedo also stated they had discussed the need to tighten controls on the unauthorised use of bus stations by other vehicles.

"Apetam will pass on all the information to its member companies and drivers to help them adapt to the new operating model before it comes into effect in November," he said.

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