Mapping airport accessibility and territorial structure in Spain: a GIS-based approach using road isochrones

This article analyses airport accessibility in Spain through the calculation of road isochrones at 10, 20, 30 and 60-minute intervals for the 40 airports handling more than 100,000 passengers annually. Using Geographic Information Systems (QGIS, OpenRouteService, ArcGIS Pro) and 1 km2 population grid data, it estimates the catchment areas of each airport and the population potentially served. The results show that 84% of the Spanish population resides within one hour’s drive of a relevant airport, although significant territorial disparities persist. Three case studies – Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga – are presented to illustrate distinct accessibility profiles and functional specialisations. This research provides a robust basis for evaluating the territorial articulation of the Spanish airport system and its contribution to spatial cohesion and regional development within the broader context of twenty-first-century challenges related to sustainability and resilience.