Ciudad Real International Airport, once dubbed Spain's 'ghost airport' after sitting abandoned for 14 years, has reopened its doors under new ownership. The airfield, located about 150 miles from Madrid, originally opened in 2008 at a cost of €1 billion (£864 million) but filed for bankruptcy in April 2012 and shut down.
A Costly Venture Turned Private Hub
Despite its initial promise as an alternative to Madrid's Barajas Airport, the airport struggled due to its isolated location. It was originally named Don Quixote Airport after the fictional hero from Miguel de Cervantes' classic novel. Plans included a high-speed AVE train station to connect it to Madrid and Seville, but that never materialised.
The airport boasted Europe's largest runways and was designed to handle the world's biggest commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380. Airlines such as Ryanair, Air Berlin, and Vueling briefly operated there, but passenger numbers never reached the terminal's capacity of 2.5 million annually.
Multiple Auctions and Final Sale
After years of abandonment, the airport was auctioned off several times. In 2019, it was finally sold to Ciudad Real International Airport S.L. (CRIA) for €56.2 million (£46.9 million), a fraction of its original construction cost. The new ownership announced its reopening earlier this year, with managing director Rafael Gómez Arribas confirming that the airport will now handle only private flights, mainly from Europe and the United States.
The airport had been used for long-term aircraft storage during its closure. Its reopening marks a new chapter for the facility, which had become a symbol of Spain's overambitious infrastructure projects during the property boom.
