Tomás Zerolo airfield () was an

aerodrome An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes inc ...

near

El Médano El Médano (Spanish, "The sand dune") is a town in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona, on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. It is located about 11 kilometers from the town of Granadilla, reaching an average altitude of 75 m ...

Granadilla de Abona Granadilla de Abona is a municipality of Tenerife, located in the south of the island, occupying an area of 155 square kilometers. Its population in 2013 was 43,608. In recent years, the population has greatly increased due to an influx of immigr ...

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

. It operated between 1962 and 1978. Only the remains of the control tower still exist.

Operation

The site was initially used by the Aeroclub de Tenerife, who constructed a auxiliary runway in 1947. The first landing was on 21 January 1948. Subsequently, the site was turned into a private aerodrome, which entered operation on 30 September 1962. The inauguration was attended by a

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

from

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...

, a military

Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted int ...

, four T-5 aircraft from the

Gando Air Base The Gando Air Base (in Spanish: ''Base Aérea de Gando'') is a base of the Spanish Air and Space Force located in the Gran Canaria island, Spain, and next to the Gran Canaria Airport, eastward from its runways. Beyond several hangars opposite t ...

in Gran Canaria, and six planes from Aeroclub de Tenerife. The aerodrome was used both for planes and balloons. The first balloon departure was the 'Pequino Mundo' in 1964. Although a private aerodrome, it was available for emergencies, for example from the airforce or commercial aircraft. On 3 February 1963 the airfield was used to airlift people rescued from the collapse of the Granadilla City Hall, which had left 23 dead and over a hundred people were injured. A

from the

TASSA In Trinidad and Tobago, and other parts of the Caribbean, the term ''tassa'' refers to a drumming ensemble drawn from an amalgamation of various North Indian folk drumming traditions, most importantly dhol-tasha, a style that remains popular today ...

airline was used to transfer wounded to

Tenerife North Airport Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of April 2025, it is the most populou ...

Closure

It closed in 1978, when the newly built

Tenerife South Airport Tenerife South Airport () , also known as Tenerife South–Reina Sofía Airport, is the larger of the two international airports located on the island of Tenerife (the other being Tenerife North Airport) and the second busiest in the Canary ...

entered service nearby. The control tower building is the only remaining structure from the aerodrome.

References

Transport in Tenerife Defunct airports in Spain {{CanaryIslands-geo-stub