Airport Teneriffa North, Los Rodeos

Build in early 1946 and in operation, the airport is located (IATA-Code: TFN) only a few kilometers from the island's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife on an elevated plateau between two mountain ranges. With only one runway (12/30, 3400 m), it is about 200 meters longer than that one in Tenerife South. Due to its topographically challenging situation, frequent wind shear and often dense fog, it came in the past few decades to several serious accidents in Los Rodeos. Particularly tragic was the worst air disaster of civil aviation, as on 27th March 1977 two Boeing B747 airliners of KLM and Pan Am collided on the runway in dense of heavy fog and went up in flames. In this case 583 people lost their lives. 

The lessons learned from this tragedy knowledge were invaluable in the construction of the new airport Tenerife South. In the following years, but also Los Rodeos has been upgraded to the latest version of the flight control system and received, among other things, a ground radar system, and a new tower.

View of the old airport Tenerife Norte “Los Rodeos” (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Vueling Airbus A320-214. EC-LVP "Linking Europe" (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Binter Canarias, ATR 72-500, EC-KYI (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Binter Canarias, ATR 72-500, EC-KGI (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Boeing 737-800 EC-LXV Air Europa (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Air Europa, B737-85P(WL), EC-JNF, “Extremadura, Close to you” (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Swift Air Cargo, B737-3Q8(SF), EC-KLR  (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Swift Air Cargo, B737-3Q8(SF), EC-KLR (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Canaryfly, ATR 42-300, EC-LYZ (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

ADAC Ambulance, Do-328JET-310, D-BADA (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Airbus A321-CEO Finnair OH-LZH (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Piper Aerotech EC-HUU (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Messerchmitt BO.105 Guardia Civil 09-122 (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Eurocopter AS 332 Super Puma ET-518 Spanish Army (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

CASA 295M, T.21-10/35-48, of Spanish Air Force (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

CASA 295M, T.21-10/35-48, of Spanish Air Force (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

Future prospects for Los Rodeos?

Although, most of the holiday air traffic has shifted to the south of the island. The importance of Tenerife North is not to be underestimated and well secured for the future. Along with the Spanish army, maintaining a base in Los Rodeos, there is also some freight traffic, as well as business aviation and “Inter-Island” traffic by Binter Canaries as well as Canaryfly.

Following airlines flying to Tenerife Norte:

Sunset at the TFS Airport (Picture courtesy Paul Bannwarth)

The "Inter-Iceland" Traffic is provided by the two Canary Island Airlines, Binter Canarias and Canaryfly and Air Europa. With their fleets, mainly consisting of ATR-42-300 and ATR-72-200/500, they also serve all other six Canary Islands such as: Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, almost on a every hour base.
The only long-haul flight to Tenerife-Los Rodeos was the weekly Flight of Santa Barbara Airlines from Caracas, Venezuela. Truly a highlight that we have been looking forward for a while. Just, the day we arrived on Tenerife, Santa Barbara Airlines ceased all their flights and activities, much to the disappointment on our part. Well, just bad luck for a spotter!
Because of the special location of the airport, the back light in the morning and the fact that you practically can only take pictures from one side, the possibilities of various photo points are very limited.

last update 22. March 2014

Written - over weeks

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