AENA has revealed new details of its redevelopment of Tenerife South Airport, confirming that work will begin in autumn 2027 with a complete reorganisation of the airport's parking facilities before moving on to the terminal itself.

This is the largest redevelopment project in Tenerife South Airport's history and will be carried out in 57 carefully planned construction sub-phases, allowing the airport to remain fully operational throughout the works.

The project, which represents an investment of more than €550 million, is expected to run until 2036 and has now entered the tender stage. Construction is due to begin in autumn 2027, subject to the completion of the ongoing environmental approval process.

Work starts with new parking facilities

The first stage of the project will focus entirely on the airport's parking and road access, lasting around 30 months and costing €48 million.

AENA will create around 2,000 extra parking spaces, including approximately 800 for general use and 1,200 for hire cars, while redesigning access roads to ease congestion around the terminal.

Terminal expansion follows

Once the parking works are complete, construction will move on to the terminal itself, with an investment of €464 million over approximately 40 months.

The airport's baggage handling facilities will then undergo a separate 56-month upgrade costing around €69 million.

Although AENA has outlined the three main stages of the project, it has not published a full construction timetable, explaining that many phases will overlap depending on operational requirements.

Keeping the airport open throughout

Engineering Director Leticia de Marcos said the strategy is to build new facilities first so that airport services can be relocated before older sections are demolished and rebuilt.

Among the first new buildings will be an expanded check-in hall next to the current Terminal 2.

To maintain passenger capacity during construction, AENA will also build a temporary remote boarding terminal with six departure gates, replacing sections of the existing terminal while they are rebuilt.

Passengers will move between areas using temporary walkways, with only the specific section under construction closed at any given time.

AENA's Director of Engineering, Leticia de Marcos, during the presentation of the project. (Image: EFE)

A completely redesigned passenger experience

The redevelopment will transform almost every aspect of the airport terminal.

Plans include:

• A single, centralised arrivals hall.
• One passport control area replacing the current separate facilities.
• A larger baggage reclaim area.
• Expanded check-in and boarding zones.
• More natural light throughout the terminal.
• Improved layouts to speed up passenger journeys.

Road access will also be redesigned to improve links with public transport, including dedicated areas for taxis, buses and minibuses.

Most of the terminal will be rebuilt

The majority of the existing terminal building will be demolished and reconstructed from the foundations up. The only major section being retained is the link building opened in 2022, which will be incorporated into the new design.

Once complete, the unified terminal will be around 28% larger, extending approximately 50 metres to the north and 25 metres to the west, bringing together the various expansions added over the airport's history into one modern building.

Greener airport and future South Train connection

The redevelopment also aims to improve the airport's environmental performance.

Plans include a new climate control system powered by renewable energy, measures to reduce water consumption, and designs intended to help AENA achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, a decade ahead of the EU's target.

The terminal will also be built with the proposed South Train in mind. Internal corridors and adaptations to the car park will allow the airport to connect easily to the railway if the long-discussed project eventually goes ahead.

"We are working on the assumption that the South Train will become a reality," said Canary Islands Airport Group Director Luis López Chapí, adding that AENA has a responsibility to ensure the airport is integrated with future transport links.

AI impression of train station at Tenerife South Airport (Magnific AI)

No plans to increase passenger numbers

Despite the scale of the redevelopment, AENA insists the project is not intended to increase the airport's official passenger or aircraft capacity, as no changes are planned to the runway or aircraft parking areas.

However, the company acknowledges that a larger terminal, improved technology and more efficient passenger flows could naturally allow the airport to handle more travellers over time.

According to AENA, the primary objective is to provide a more comfortable, modern and efficient airport experience for the millions of residents and visitors who use Tenerife South every year.