The communiqué noted that Suárez played a significant role in Spanish history; he presided over the drafting of the 1978 Spanish Constitution and was a key figure in the success of Spain's democratic transition. To honor this important figure in Spanish history, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport accepted the proposal put forward by Prime Minister Rajoy and approved the relevant cabinet decree.
The airport is the main international airport for the Spanish capital and is the fourth-largest passenger airport in Europe and the twelfth-largest in the world, located in the Barajas district about 12 kilometers northeast of Madrid's city center. The airport officially began operations in 1931 and is currently managed by the state-owned Spanish Airports and Air Navigation (Aena). In 2013, it handled approximately 39.73 million passengers and 350 million tons of cargo.
