TRIP REPORT: Island hopping with Binter Canarias
Route: El Hierro (VDE) - Gran Canaria (LPA)
Date: July 31, 2021
Airline: Binter Canarias
Flight: NT368
Aircraft: ATR 72-600
Registration: EC-MVI
This trip report describes a short island hop from El Hierro to Gran Canaria. El Hierro is the smallest, geologically the youngest and by far the least visited in the Canary Islands archipelago. It hosts Spain's westernmost airport VDE named after the island's capital Valverde. The airport was opened in 1972 and its only routes are to Tenerife North and Gran Canaria served by Binter Canarias and Canaryfly. A very short runway (1,250 m in length) is the reason that only turboprops operate here.
Arriving by car gives a great view of the airport which is located right next to the Atlantic Ocean.
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| Approaching the airport by car |
The car park is almost entirely dedicated to rental cars and is clearly marked.
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| Rental car parking |
The terminal building is small, but it is a very welcome change compared to the airports where passengers have to walk long distances in seemingly endless corridors to get to the gate. Check-in for this flight had already been done in Gran Canaria before the inbound flight. Therefore, only baggage drop-off was needed in El Hierro. Security control and the only two gates are a few metres away. In the waiting area there is a shop and a café. The small size of the terminal is best described by the fact that approximately 70 passengers made it look crowded, even more so in these pandemic times.
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| I hope I can remember the gate number... |
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| One of the filming locations of Spanish crime show "Hierro" was also at El Hierro airport |
The same two airport employees from the check-in desk were awaiting the passengers at the gate. Boarding began on time and the passengers walked towards the aircraft which was parked next to the terminal.
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| Our ride to Gran Canaria |
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| El Hierro terminal building |
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| Control tower |
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| Strong wind as usual in the Canaries |
The flight was almost full and the vast majority of the passengers seemed to be Spanish citizens. The Spanish government subsidises travel of Canarian residents. They are entitled to a 75% discount on all domestic air and sea travel fares which means they can fly between the islands for as little as 15 euros.
We took off five minutes ahead of schedule. Unsurprisingly, at the time there was no other traffic at El Hierro airport. The legroom on board the ATR 72-600 was more generous than on many bigger aircraft types. No in-flight service was provided with the exception of small packets of cookies which were handed out by the cabin crew during disembarking in Gran Canaria.
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| More than sufficient legroom |
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| Covid-19 preventive measures on board |
The 50-minute flight landed a few minutes early in Gran Canaria. Despite the gusting wind the landing was soft. After disembarking (one row at a time) the bus took us to the domestic part of the arrival hall. The Spanish Health Control Form must be shown only upon entering the country, so we could proceed directly to the baggage belts as this was a domestic flight.
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| Arrival into the domestic part of the terminal in Gran Canaria |
All in all, this short flight was a pleasant experience. If you are planning your holiday in the Canary Islands, I absolutely recommend visiting El Hierro. Still undiscovered by mass tourism this volcanic island is well worth exploring.
Hope you enjoyed reading this trip report!
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