Your Guide To Lanzarote Airport
Almost every holiday on Lanzarote begins and ends at the same place. César Manrique Airport is the island’s single, compact airport just outside the capital. Knowing your way around it, what to expect at passport control, where to find the taxis and car hire, which terminal you need, and what’s waiting for you air side, makes both arriving and leaving that bit smoother. This guide walks you through the whole airport, from touchdown to take-off, along with flight times, airlines and a few insider tips to make your journey through it painless.
What’s with the Location and Name of Lanzarote Airport
The airport carries the official name César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport, renamed in honour of the island’s famous artist, and its international code is ACE. That code, and the “Arrecife Airport” label you’ll sometimes see, cause a common bit of confusion: the airport isn’t actually in Arrecife at all. It sits in the neighbouring municipality of San Bartolomé, around five kilometres south-west of the capital, just off the LZ-2 dual carriageway between Arrecife and Tías. It’s genuinely central and well placed, so no resort on the island is a long transfer away, with Puerto del Carmen barely ten to fifteen minutes down the road, Costa Teguise around twenty, and Playa Blanca to the south roughly thirty-five to forty minutes.
Lanzarote Airport has Two Terminals
Lanzarote has one airport with two passenger terminals, and the split is simple to understand. Terminal 1 is the big, modern main terminal, and it handles everything you’re likely to use as a visitor: all the international flights from the UK, Ireland and across Europe, as well as domestic flights to mainland Spain. If you’re flying in from abroad, you’ll arrive and depart from T1.
Terminal 2 is the older, much smaller terminal, and it deals only with inter-island flights within the Canaries, the short hops to Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Fuerteventura operated by the regional airlines Binter Canarias and Canaryfly. Unless you’re island-hopping, you won’t need T2. The two terminals are a short walk apart, connected via a ramp by the car park across the road, but the vast majority of holidaymakers use T1 for their entire trip.
What to Expect When You Land at Lanzarote Airport
Coming off the plane at Terminal 1, you follow the signs through to passport control, then down to baggage reclaim, and out into the arrivals hall. The layout is straightforward and the walk is short, this is a compact, easily navigated airport rather than a sprawling mega-hub, which is one of the quiet pleasures of flying here.
Passport Control
Since Lanzarote is part of Spain and the European Union, but outside the UK post-Brexit, British visitors now pass through the “all passports” or non-EU channels rather than the EU lanes. It’s worth being aware of a significant change: the EU’s new Entry/Exit System, known as EES, which registers non-EU visitors with facial images and fingerprints, has been rolling out across the bloc.
This can add time at passport control, particularly at busy arrival periods, so patience helps. Make sure your passport meets the rules for travel to the EU, issued within the last ten years on your date of arrival, and valid for at least three months after your planned departure. Passport queues at Lanzarote are usually manageable, but a bank of flights landing together can build a wait, so don’t panic if it’s slow.
Luggage Reclaim
Beyond passport control you’ll find the baggage reclaim area, with a row of belts and the arrivals screens showing which belt matches your flight. There are toilets here, and the car hire desks are located in this area too, which is handy if you’re picking up a vehicle. One important thing to know: once you leave the baggage hall through the automatic doors into the public arrivals area, you cannot go back in, so make sure you’ve collected everything and everyone before you head out. If a bag has gone missing or is damaged, sort it with your airline’s baggage desk before you leave the reclaim area.
Getting to Your Resort from Lanzarote Airport
Out in the arrivals hall, you’ve got three main ways to reach your accommodation: taxi, bus or hire car.
Taxis
There’s a taxi rank right outside the arrivals area, with metered taxis that are good value, especially shared between a group or family. Fares are metered with a supplement for airport pickups, and the cost naturally rises with distance, so a short hop to Puerto del Carmen is inexpensive while Playa Blanca costs more. Taxis are the quickest, most hassle-free option if you don’t want to wait, and at genuinely busy arrival peaks there can occasionally be a queue for cabs, which the island authorities have been working to address.
Buses to the Resorts
The public bus, known locally as the guagua, is the cheapest way into town and to the resorts, run by the island’s Intercity bus company from a stop just outside Terminal 1. Lines 22 and 23 run to Arrecife bus station, only ten to fifteen minutes away and costing little over a euro, from where you can connect onwards. Lines to Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca also serve the airport.
The bus is excellent value for solo travellers or those with light luggage, though with a lot of cases or a family in tow, a taxi or pre-booked transfer is usually easier.
Pre-Booked Transfers and Car Hire
Many visitors pre-book a private transfer or shuttle in advance, which takes the uncertainty out of arrival, particularly after a late flight. Car hire is enormously popular on Lanzarote, and rightly so, as the island is compact, easy and rewarding to drive, and having your own car opens up the volcanic interior, the beaches and the villages.
The car hire company desks are in the baggage reclaim and arrivals area, with some operators’ offices located up by the car park. Booking your car in advance almost always beats the counter price and guarantees the vehicle you want. If you’re planning to hire, it’s well worth reading our separate guide to driving in Lanzarote before you set off, as there are a few local rules and quirks worth knowing.
When it’s Time to go Home. Lanzarote Airport Departures
Heading home, everything happens in the same compact Terminal 1. The check-in desks are on the upper floor, where you’ll find your airline’s counters to drop your bags, before heading through security to the departure gates.
The Check-In Hall
Terminal 1’s check-in hall is on the first floor, with the rows of desks assigned to departing flights, shown on the overhead screens. As at any airport, arrive in good time, typically two to three hours before an international flight, as the check-in and security queues here can build during the busy morning and midday departure waves when several flights leave close together. Once your bags are dropped, you head for security.
Through Security and Air Side
After passing through the security check, you’re into the air side departure area, and this is where Terminal 1 comes into its own. There’s a genuinely good selection of bars, cafés, restaurants and fast-food outlets to while away the wait, so you won’t go hungry or thirsty. You’ll find toilets throughout, along with the boarding gates, numbered and shown on the screens, so check which gate you need once you’re through, as the terminal is small enough that you’re never far from any of them.
On smoking: like all Spanish airports, the terminal building is entirely non-smoking, and once you’re through security air side there is generally no dedicated outdoor smoking area, so smokers should bear that in mind before passing the security check. Vaping is treated the same as smoking. Free Wi-Fi is available across the airport.
Duty Free and Shopping
The shops, including the duty-free store, are located air side in Terminal 1, after security. Here’s a genuinely useful quirk worth understanding: because the Canary Islands sit outside the European Union’s VAT and duty area, they operate their own lower local tax, IGIC, rather than mainland Spanish VAT.
This is why the Canaries have a long-standing reputation for duty-free-style bargains, and why certain goods, perfumes, cosmetics, spirits, tobacco, electronics and watches, can be good value. It also means allowances on what you can bring home differ from standard within-EU travel, so if you’re buying tobacco or spirits to take back to the UK or elsewhere, check your home country’s current personal import allowances. Terminal 2, by contrast, has no shops at all, just a small café.
What Airlines Fly to Lanzarote?
Lanzarote is exceptionally well connected for an island of its size, served by well over thirty airlines flying to airports across half of Europe. From the UK and Ireland, the familiar names dominate: Jet2 and Jet2holidays, Ryanair, easyJet, British Airways, TUI and Aer Lingus all operate regular routes.
From elsewhere in Europe you’ll find the likes of the TUI group airlines, Eurowings and Condor from Germany, Transavia from the Netherlands, the Norwegian and SAS and Nordic carriers from Scandinavia, and Vueling, Iberia and Binter linking the island to mainland Spain and the other Canaries. The main markets by volume are the UK, Germany and mainland Spain, and many routes run year-round given Lanzarote’s all-season appeal, with additional seasonal services added over the winter and summer peaks.
Average Flight Times to Lanzarote
Lanzarote sits just off the coast of Africa, but it’s closer to northern Europe than many people expect, and crucially there’s no time difference with the UK and Ireland, so no jet lag. Direct flight times run roughly as follows, though exact times vary with wind and routing, and return flights home are often a touch quicker thanks to Atlantic tailwinds.
| From | Approx. Direct Flight Time |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom (London) | 4 hours |
| United Kingdom (northern England / Scotland) | 4 hr 15–30 min |
| Ireland (Dublin) | 4 hr 15–30 min |
| Germany | 4 hr 30 min – 5 hr |
| Netherlands (Amsterdam) | 4 hr 30–45 min |
| Italy | 4 hr 30 min – 5 hr |
| Denmark (Copenhagen) | 5 hr – 5 hr 30 min |
| Norway (Oslo) | 5 hr 15–45 min |
| Sweden (Stockholm) | 5 hr 30 min |
As a rule of thumb, it’s a four-hour hop from the UK and Ireland, four and a half to five hours from central Europe, and around five and a half hours from the far north of Scandinavia, which is the longest scheduled route into the island.
International Versus Inter-Island Flights
It’s worth being clear on the distinction, as it determines your terminal. International flights (from the UK, Ireland, Germany and the rest of Europe) and domestic flights to mainland Spain all use the large Terminal 1. Inter-island flights, the short hops between Lanzarote and the other Canary Islands such as Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Fuerteventura, use the small Terminal 2 and are run by Binter Canarias and Canaryfly. If you’re combining Lanzarote with another Canary island during your trip, you’ll likely find yourself using T2 for that leg, so allow for the short walk between the two terminals if you’re connecting.
Lanzarote Airport Top Tips
A handful of practical pointers to round things off. Arrive in good time for departures, particularly during the busy morning and midday waves when queues at check-in and security are at their longest.
There’s no hotel within the airport itself, so don’t plan to sleep there between flights. There’s a small aviation museum inside the airport for anyone with time to spare and an interest. Cash machines and a currency exchange are available, though with the euro and widespread card acceptance across the island you’ll rarely need much cash. If you’re hiring a car, photograph it for any existing damage before you drive off, and remember the airport sits right on the LZ-2, making the drive to most resorts quick and simple.
And finally, keep an eye on the screens for your gate once you’re air side, though in a terminal this compact you’re never more than a few minutes’ walk from where you need to be.
