Story ID: 
New Madrid GAT Ready for Operations
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: The general aviaition terminal serving the Spanish capital has been fully renovated by a new management consortium including Universal Aviation.
Word Count: 209
After nearly a year of work, the renovation of the general aviation terminal (GAT) at Spain’s Madrid Barajas Airport has been completed. In January, a consortium consisting of Universal Aviation Spain, United Aviation Service, and General Aviation Service was selected by Aena SME, the government-owned company that manages the country’s airports, to renovate and co-manage the general aviation terminals at Madrid, as well as Barcelona El Prat International Airport, under the names of Spanish FBO-Madrid and Spanish FBO-Barcelona, respectively.

In addition to shared common lounges, the GAT at Madrid features private crew and VIP lounges and facilities for each of the three companies’ clients. A common area also features a "living wall."

Arriving aircraft will be met on the ramp and their passengers and crew will be driven to the GAT—a ride of five minutes. All customs, immigration, and quarantine inspections will be performed there, as well as luggage x-ray scanning. After this, users can either access the shared common lounges for a fee or use their handler’s private lounges at no additional charge.

The upgrade project at the Barcelona GAT is expected to be finished by the end of next month, according to a Universal spokesman.