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Melilla Airport Regional Airport illustrationRegional Airport
Airports
MLNmedium airport

Melilla Airport

Melilla, Spain
Explore Melilla city guide Navigate to this airport
5
Routes out
4
Destinations
GEML
ICAO
156 ft
Elevation
AirlinesAirports profile

Spain's enclave gateway on the North African coast.

Opened
1969
Location
Melilla, Spain
Melilla Airport (IATA: MLN, ICAO: GEML) serves the Spanish autonomous city of Melilla, a small enclave on the northern coast of Morocco. It is one of two Spanish-administered territories on the African continent, the other being Ceuta, and its airport provides a vital air link between Melilla and mainland Spain. The airport is relatively small, handling a modest volume of passenger traffic primarily on domestic routes to Spanish cities such as Madrid, Málaga, and Granada. Due to Melilla's geographic isolation, air travel is an essential mode of transport for residents and visitors alike. The facility is operated under the Spanish airport authority AENA and is equipped to handle the regional jet aircraft typically deployed on its routes. Its short runway and compact infrastructure reflect the limited land area available within the enclave.
Terminals
The airport has a single, compact terminal building that handles both departures and arrivals for its low volume of traffic.
Getting to & from
The airport is located very close to the city center of Melilla, making it accessible by taxi and local bus in a short journey.
Airlines here
Iberia and Air Nostrum (operating as Iberia Regional) are the primary carriers serving Melilla Airport, offering connections to mainland Spanish cities.
Notable facts
  • ›Melilla Airport is one of the few Spanish airports located on the African continent.
  • ›The airport's runway is approximately 1,400 meters long, limiting it to smaller regional aircraft.
  • ›Air travel is particularly important to Melilla residents due to border complexities with surrounding Morocco.
  • ›AENA, Spain's national airport operator, manages the facility.
  • ›The airport sits within one of the smallest autonomous cities in Spain, covering just 12 square kilometers.
Official website Wikipedia
This profile is provided for general information only. Details may be inaccurate or outdated — always verify with the airport's official website before acting on them.

Route map (4 destinations)

Leaflet © OpenStreetMap © CARTO

Routes

MLN → MADIB · AT7
MLN → AGPIB · AT7
MLN → LEIIB · AT7
MLN → GRXIB · AT7
MLN → AGPW2 · AT4
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City & Place Guide

Spain's North African enclave where cultures delightfully collide

Melilla is a small Spanish autonomous city on the northeastern coast of Morocco, one of two Spanish territories on the African continent. Its roughly 85,000 residents include Spanish, Moroccan, Berber, Jewish, and Hindu communities, creating a uniquely multicultural atmosphere rarely found elsewhere in Europe or Africa.

The city is renowned for its exceptional collection of Art Nouveau and Modernist architecture, largely the work of Enrique Nieto, a student of Antoni Gaudí. Melilla is also a duty-free port, making it popular for shopping. Despite its small size, it punches well above its weight in culture, cuisine, and history.

  • •Melilla la Vieja — the 15th-century walled Old City with museums, ramparts, and sea views
  • •Modernist Quarter — streets lined with over 1,000 catalogued Modernist buildings by Enrique Nieto
  • •Plaza de España — elegant central square anchoring the city's civic and social life
  • •Museo de Historia de Melilla — artifacts tracing Phoenician, Roman, and Spanish colonial history
  • •Parque Hernández — lush city park with a bandstand and a popular weekend atmosphere
  • •Playa de los Cárabos — calm urban beach ideal for a relaxed Mediterranean afternoon

Getting around: Melilla is compact enough to explore largely on foot, especially the Old City and Modernist Quarter. Local buses serve the main neighborhoods affordably, and taxis are plentiful and inexpensive by mainland Spanish standards. There are no trains within the city, and rideshare apps are not widely available, so taxis remain the best motorized option for quick hops.

Best time: Spring (March to May) and early autumn (September to October) offer warm, pleasant temperatures ideal for walking the city without the intense summer heat.

Local food: Try pinchitos morunos (Moorish spiced meat skewers), fresh grilled seafood at harbor-side restaurants, and Sephardic pastries reflecting the city's historic Jewish community.

This guide is provided for general information only. Verify details locally before making travel decisions.

Passport, Visa & Immigration

Flying internationally via MLN? Check entry, transit and customs requirements for Spain from official government sources.

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Melilla Airport
Encyclopaedia

Melilla Airport is an airport in the Spanish autonomous city of Melilla, an exclave of Spain in north Africa. The airport is located about 4 km (2.5 mi) southwest of the city center, near the border with Morocco. It is the only airport in Spanish territory on the African coast. The airport currently ranks twenty-ninth at national level in terms of passenger numbers. It has the capacity to move up to 500,000 passengers and the annual average of passengers is around 490,000. In 2024 it reached 507,957 passengers. Currently, only one airline, Iberia Regional/Air Nostrum, operates commercial passenger flights from the airport to eleven Spanish cities: Almería, Asturias, Barcelona, Granada, Gran Canaria, Madrid, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville and Tenerife North. Between 1931 and 1967 Melilla was served by the Tauima Aerodrome, even when Morocco had gained its independence in 1956. This airport opened in 1969.

Read full article on Wikipedia

Entity data from open aviation datasets (OurAirports, OpenFlights) with AI-assisted editorial clearly marked. Always confirm time-sensitive details with the official airport website. Sources & verification