Murcia to get new improved Murcia-Corvera airport this year
Murcia to get new improved Murcia-Corvera airport this year
The new Región de Murcia International airport will be opened this year.
That was the message delivered by AENA President Jaime García-Legaz as he was presented with the keys to the new airport by Murcia's president Fernando López Miras, at a special ceremony on Saturday.
The initial works for the new facility, known locally as Murcia-Corvera airport, were laid nearly ten years ago in July 2008, with the airport expected to become operational before the end of 2013.
But a series of administrative problems has beset the project over the past decade, including claims that the airport would never be able to accept commercial civilian passengers as it had been built in a no-fly zone in Spain.
But with years of escalating traffic and pressure mounting on neighbouring Alicante-Elche aiport to the north east, the Spanish government awarded the management contract for the new transport hub to AENA in November last year.
Murcia-Corvera airport: improving passenger capacity
Located between Murcia and Cartagena, the new airport has been built to offer a greater passenger capacity than Murcia-San Javier aiport, which operates primarily as a military air base for the Spanish Air Force.
Currently, Murcia-San Javier airport offers a limited number of scheduled flights almost exclusively with Irish low cost carrier Ryanair, providing services for as few as five inbound flights per day during the winter season.
Last year Murcia-San Javier handled nearly 1.2 million passengers, while Murcia-Corvera airport is expected to welcome 4.0 million passengers, and AENA will be hoping to attract new routes to the airport.
The AENA President said that attracting top carriers to use the new facilities was "everybody's job", and Murcia President, Fernando López Miras, stated "We will have an airport that the Murcia region has dreamed of, and it will become the gateway for millions of people to visit Spain".
09/2018 UPDATE: Murcia-Corvera airport will open and officially receive its first flights on Tuesday 15th January 2019.
12/2018 UPDATE: Which airports will operate flights to Murcia-Corvera airport? Find the full 2019 flight schedule here.
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