22,000€ a day to keep a ghost airport in Murcia
Friday, May 8, 2015 @ 12:01 PM
ONE OF the hot political potatoes in this month’s municipal and regional elections will revolve around the backing or opposition to Covera airport in Murcia. It most certainly will not be open for business in 2015 as the airport cannot bid for slots or business until it is officially open and operational. , Corvera has joined Castellón and Ciudad Real as multi-million euro projects that make up Spain’s Ghose Airports.
As highlighted in the Spanish national press this week, Corvera still does not have a single aircraft, airline or passengers, which once again his brought up the question of why this costly infrastructure was planned and built in the first instance, especially since 70 million euros of improvements were taking place at San Javier, just 35 kilometres away.
Since its inception, Corvera has been surrounded in controversy. The management concession was given to the Aeromur consortium, led by Sacyr, in 2007 with the concession rights to operate the airport over the next 40 years. Corvera begun construction in 2008. Two years later, work ceased on the project as Aeromur noted the impossibility of finding financing for the project. Finally, the Murcia Community was forced to guarantee a loan of 182 million euros for the completion of construction in exchange for the concession giving up their rights to the project.
Read more in Round Town News here.