Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport departures (BCN) - current flight status

Check-in, security and gates by terminal

Vueling, Iberia, LEVEL and most long-haul and full-service airlines fly from T1; Ryanair and Transavia mainly from T2B, easyJet mainly from T2C. Go by what the boarding pass says. In T1 the check-in floor also has self-service machines, and some airlines, Vueling among them, run their own bag drops. The airline directory lists the carriers recorded here.

When to get there, and where to be dropped

Two hours before a Schengen or domestic flight and three before any other is a sensible margin; Aena's own minimum is 45 minutes, and your airline's check-in and boarding deadlines come before either. With Barrier Free assistance, Aena asks you to arrive 2.5 hours ahead and be at the meeting point 2 hours before departure.

Tell the driver T1 or T2, and the section in T2. Both terminals have an Express car park on the departures road, free for the first 10 minutes. If you are left at the wrong building, the free shuttle stops on T1 Floor 3 (departures), at T2B and on the outer road at T2C. Inside T2, T2B and T2C are about 5 minutes apart on foot, or a minute on the shuttle.

Security: trays, liquids and laptops

At the standard lanes, everything from your pockets goes in the tray with jackets, hats and high-heeled shoes, and laptops, tablets and the liquids bag come out of the case. Liquids travel in containers of up to 100 ml inside one clear 1-litre bag; the limit does not apply to liquid medicines or baby food needed during the trip. Power banks and spare batteries go in the cabin, never in the hold.

Aena says electronics and liquids may stay in the bag at the T1 Fast Track lane. Everywhere else, including the T2 Fast Lane, take them out unless staff or the signs tell you otherwise. The 100 ml limit applies in every lane. Travelling with children, ask the staff at the checkpoint which lane to use. Everything else on what you may carry is on the security page.

Priority security: Fast Track (T1) and Fast Lane (T2)

Each purchase is one access for one person, valid for 3 months: scan the QR code first, then your boarding pass. It speeds up security only, not passport control or boarding, and each product works only in its own terminal. Children aged 5 and under go free at the T1 Fast Track; for T2, check the conditions when you buy. Some business fares and airline cards include it, so ask the airline. More on Fast Track.

Passport control and tax-free shopping

On flights inside the Schengen area the airline checks your ID and there is no border control. For the UK and every other destination outside Schengen, the Policía Nacional checks passports after security: in T1 on the way to gates D and E, in T2 before the non-Schengen gates; follow the passport-control signs. Eligible EU, EEA and Swiss chip passports can use the ABC e-gates, and the Entry/Exit System now replaces passport stamps for non-EU visitors on short stays. ETIAS is not required yet, and the UK ETA is a UK rule for travel to Britain.

If you live outside the EU and claim a VAT refund, validate the DIVA form at a kiosk in the T1 or T2 check-in area before you check in the bag with the goods, since you may have to show them. Details are on the customs page.

Lounges after security

All four are Aena lounges, airside, with entry at most 3 hours before your flight. A T2 passenger cannot reach the T1 lounges, and Canudas, at the Schengen gate U, is the only one in T2; if your flight leaves from W, Y or M, ask at the lounge before you buy whether you can reach your gate from it. Card and membership access depends on the card: check its app. Hours and children's prices are on the lounges page.