The Canary Islands Airport You Might Not Have Heard Of

Before we get into El Hierro Airport (VDE), it is essential to know a little about the Canary Islands and their location. Belonging to Spain, the Canary Islands are an archipelago of seven islands located off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean.

El Hierro is the smallest of the islands, with a population of less than 11,000. It is also the farthest west of Africa and the most southerly island in the chain. El Hierro shares year-round spring-like weather with the other six islands, making it one of the best places to spend the winter in Europe.

You can fly to Valverde from Tenerife and Gran Canarias

In 2015 El Hierro became a UNESCO-designated Global Geopark, an area of international geological significance. Although most tourists are heading to the Islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, El Hierro attracts visitors, most arriving via the port or airport near the island’s capital, Valverde. Located 5.6 miles northeast of Valverde, El Hierro Airport (VDE) is the island’s only airport and main link with the rest of the world.

In the 1950s, EL Hierro’s only link to the outside world was a ferry to Tenerife. The first ever recorded flight to El Hierro occurred on December 12, 1955, when a sick resident needed to be taken to a hospital in Tenerife by helicopter. Following the incident, islanders started discussing the need for an airport, but there were few suitable locations to build it. Finally, engineers chose an area called “Llano de los Cangrejos” (crab plain) near Valverde.

The airport on El Hierro opened in 1972

Construction of a 4,401-long runway, apron, and a small terminal began in 1967 and was completed in 1972. The first fixed-wing aircraft to land at the new airport was a Spanish Air Force German-built single-engine STOL Dornier Do 27. Despite the Do 27 being the first plane to land at El Hierro Airport, the inauguration was headed by Spanish minister Julio Salvador y Días-Benjumena, who arrived aboard a Douglas DC-3.

Spanish national flag carrier Iberia was responsible for the first commercial flights from El Hierro when it began flying from El Hierro to Tenerife North Airport (TFN) on December 19, 1972. The aircraft used for the short 40-minute flight was a Dutch-built Fokker F-27 twin-engine turboprop.

In 1989 a new control tower was built, and the terminal was enlarged to accommodate more passengers. In July 1992, Gran Canaria Airport (LPA)-based Binter Canarias began flying between Valverde and Tenerife North Airport using a 72-seat ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop. Despite primarily being suitable for STOL turboprops, it would be possible to land a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 family plane at El Hierro Airport (VDE).