Getting to the Canary Islands is refreshingly simple: you fly. Sitting out in the Atlantic off the northwest coast of Africa, the archipelago is served by a dense web of direct flights from across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, and for most visitors the whole journey is a single hop of around four to four and a half hours from Britain. There are no visa hurdles for UK or EU travellers, the airports are modern and used to holiday crowds, and onward transfers to the resorts are well organised. This guide covers which airport serves which island, how flights are sold, booking tips, entry rules, and getting from the terminal to your sunbed.
Flying in: the basics
From the UK and Ireland, flight times run roughly four to four and a half hours — longer than the Mediterranean but still an easy day's travel, and crucially without a big time-zone jolt: the Canaries keep the same clock as the UK and Ireland (one hour behind mainland Spain). Direct services run year-round from dozens of British and Irish airports, and from across Germany, the Nordics, the Benelux countries and beyond, thanks to the islands' status as Europe's premier winter-sun destination. Because demand peaks in winter — the opposite of most Mediterranean resorts — you'll find the fullest flight schedules and the highest fares from around Christmas through to spring.
The eight airports
Each inhabited island has its own airport, and Tenerife has two. Booking the right one saves a long, unnecessary drive — Tenerife in particular catches people out, as its two airports sit at opposite ends of the island. Here's how the codes map to the islands.
| Code | Airport | Island | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| LPA | Gran Canaria | Gran Canaria | Southern resorts & Las Palmas |
| TFS | Tenerife South (Reina Sofía) | Tenerife | The southern beach resorts — most tourist flights |
| TFN | Tenerife North (Los Rodeos) | Tenerife | The north, Santa Cruz & La Laguna; many inter-island flights |
| ACE | Lanzarote | Lanzarote | All of Lanzarote (a small island) |
| FUE | Fuerteventura | Fuerteventura | Corralejo, Caleta de Fuste, Jandía |
| SPC | La Palma | La Palma | The "Beautiful Island" |
| GMZ | La Gomera | La Gomera | Small; often reached by ferry instead |
| VDE | El Hierro | El Hierro | The remotest, quietest island |
On Tenerife, choose your airport with care. TFS (Tenerife South) serves the big beach resorts like Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos; TFN (Tenerife North) is closer to Santa Cruz, La Laguna and the greener north. Landing at the wrong one can mean an hour-plus transfer across the island.
Charter, scheduled and low-cost
Three broad types of flight serve the islands. Scheduled low-cost carriers sell seat-only fares you book yourself, with prices that rise as the plane fills — the flexible, independent option. Charter and package flights are bundled by tour operators with your hotel and transfers, often the simplest and best-value route if you want the whole holiday arranged in one go. And legacy scheduled airlines connect the islands to hubs for longer-haul travellers. For most UK and European holidaymakers the choice comes down to a seat-only fare plus separately booked accommodation, or an all-in package — see where to stay to weigh that up.
Booking tips
- Book early for winter and school holidays. Christmas, New Year, February half-term and Easter are the priciest, busiest windows; late spring and autumn are quieter and cheaper.
- Check which airport the fare uses before you click buy, especially on Tenerife and if you're island-hopping.
- Compare package versus seat-only. With hotels included, a charter package can undercut the DIY route, particularly in peak weeks.
- Mind the baggage. Low-cost fares often exclude hold luggage; add it up before comparing.
- Fly midweek where you can — Saturday changeovers are traditionally the busiest and dearest.
Entry rules for UK and EU visitors
The Canaries are part of Spain and the EU, so entry is straightforward. EU and EEA citizens travel freely with a valid passport or national ID card. UK visitors, since Brexit, enter as non-EU visitors: no visa is needed for tourism, but stays are limited under the 90/180 rule — no more than 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across the whole Schengen area. Make sure your passport meets the validity requirements for non-EU entry and get it stamped on arrival and departure.
Two EU border schemes are being phased in: the EES (Entry/Exit System), which registers non-EU arrivals biometrically instead of stamping passports, and later ETIAS, a cheap online travel authorisation that non-EU visitors (including UK citizens) will need before travelling. Timelines have shifted more than once, so check the official rules close to your trip. When ETIAS is live, apply online well before you fly.
From the airport to your resort
Once you land, the last leg is easy. Most package holidays include a coach or minibus transfer straight to your hotel — the least-hassle option, though it may stop at several resorts on the way. Taxis wait outside every terminal and are the quickest door-to-door choice, with fares to the main resorts that are reasonable if you're a group splitting the cost. Public buses — the green guaguas — serve the airports on the bigger islands cheaply, ideal if you're travelling light and not in a rush. And if you plan to explore, picking up a hire car at the airport counter turns the arrival hall into the start of a road trip.
For working out the smartest airport-to-resort route on any island, our sister travel-logistics site is a useful planner for figuring out how to get from A to B. To go deeper on local transport once you've arrived, read getting around the Canary Islands, and for moving between islands by sea, see ferries between the islands. If you fancy tacking on a few days of mainland Spain before or after, the Costa del Sol is an easy add-on — our friends at the Málaga guide cover that stretch of coast.
A note on island-hopping arrivals
You don't have to fly into the island you'll spend most time on. Many visitors land on a big, well-connected airport like LPA or TFS and then hop onward by short inter-island flight or ferry — often cheaper and more frequent than a direct international service to the smaller islands. La Gomera, in particular, is usually reached by the quick ferry from Tenerife rather than by air. Plan the sea legs with our ferry guide, and once you know your islands, move on to when to visit and where to stay.