Spain to close up to 30 state-run airports

[Yak97]

From the DT

Spain to close up to 30 state-run airports - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/9288873/Spain-to-close-up-to-30-state-run-airports.html)

More like Don Quijote airport?

Spain’s closed Don Quijote airport helps explain Europe’s economic crisis | McClatchy (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/05/03/147646/spains-closed-don-quijote-airport.html)

[beardy]

Spain to close up to 30 state-run airports

Do you work for the Daily Telegraph, if so you should use inverted commas. The article does not mention closures, only potential partial closures, but I suppose that's not quite so exciting.

[compton3bravo]

Very poor journalism by The Daily Telegraph, lots of ifs and buts as mentioned above. The reporter mentions Badajoz - last commercial service in January - WRONG - new airline Helitt operate services to Barcelona and Palma with ATRs. Also Badajoz is a military airfield as are a number of Spanish airports for example Reus.
I would have expected something like this from the Daily Mail but not the Telegraph!

[Aksai Oiler]

Compton3Bravo

Like you I live in Spain, I read the article this morning and despite the bad reporting, it's no less of a shocker than it was to hear that over 2000 Spanish municipalities are so weighed down in debt it could take some over 7000 years to pay it off.

We are all wall aware that there has been a massive amount of over investment in Spanish infrastructure - in all sectors. Private investors and more worryingly Provincial Governments (Valencia for example) have invested billions of Euros whom cannot necessarily now afford it. Some of these projects have been poorly planned and ruinous - Ciudad Real and Castellon; I'm still trying to get my head around why Covera was built and why Cordoba needs a runway extension.

If the financial bubble had not burst, not one word would be said about these projects; unfortunately it has and it is glaringly obvious that in many cases Spain has taken advantage of cheap loans and its politicians have taken the piss with public/EU funds. There now has to be some kind of rationalisation of Spanish Airports (whether it's partial or total facility closure). However the EU has to investigate why Spain was allowed to spend, apparently, without any thought to how they would pay. Unfortunately we all know this will not happen, just incase they manage to implicate themselves.

I try to utilise my local airport Jerez as much as possible (flying 2-4 times a month to Madrid and onwards). If Jerez closes (doubtful) I will just have to switch to Gib, Malaga or Seville. Part/Full time closure of some Spanish Airports is a reality, it's not going to go away

[BigFrank]

If you want to criticise the accuracy of the article, then at very least you want to ! get your contrary or supplementary facts right !

Reus was indeed originally a military airfield (dating from SCW I believe) and did in its original years of commercial use operate as a joint-use facility but it has not had any military presence for about a decade I would suggest without checking anywhere. Maybe it's just 7 or 8 years ! Or maybe nearer 15 years !!

[IB4138]

I think you will find that the name "Ryanair" features strongly in proposed/cancelled routes at quite a few of these airfields.

Why anyone builds an airport on the words of MOL is unbelievable!

[roverman]

No doubt the thrust of the ToryGraph article is to highlight the evil of public investment in infrastructure. Whilst I am a supporter of the latter, my local airport MAN being a good example of how it can be successfully and profitably done, I have watched agog at how the Spanish have poured countless billions of Euros into airport projects with no apparent consideration of the cost vs benefit. They have built vastly over-specified airports at Madrid and Barcelona, magnificent showpieces I am sure, but these are tax-paying democracies, not the system they have in the Gulf where oil dirhams are sunk into projects at the Sheik's bidding. Barajas has a multitude of runways and parallel taxiways yet is one of the most delay-prone airports in Europe. That, and Air Traffic Controllers earning 250000 Euros p.a. (when they are not on strike) is indeed an example of public industry in need of a serious health check. I could write for the ToryGraph!

[davidjohnson6]

It looks as if by the end of September 2015, the following airports will lose year-round passenger service:

Badajoz - might keep a July/Aug route to Palma de Mallorca
Leon - loses all passenger service
Salamanca - might keep a July/Aug route to Palma de Mallorca

Iberia / Air Nostrum are also ending flights to/from Burgos tomorrow (4 May 2015). Leon Airlines have commenced service recently at Burgos, but as a start-up company I think they're going to have a tough time

Logrono seems to be keeping its daily flight to Madrid - anyone know what the reason for this route remaining intact is ?

[DjerbaDevil]

Rioja...wine....exports....

[compton3bravo]

There will be 1,000 kilometres of new AVE high speed lines open this year with cities like Granada and Burgos joining the network which will have some efffect on domestic flights which are on the decline because of the excellent road and rail network. Part of the cost will be met by the European Central Fund so the British taxpayer will contribute while practically all of the UK rail network still trundles along.

[RAT 5]

One wonders why the great grand Airport Lleida was ever built; quite recently. How much has it been used? Common sense may be starting to prevail. Is it on the list?

[compton3bravo]

Lleida gets quite a few flights - Thomas Cook and Flybe to name two- during the ski season and is quite popular with private flying. Vitoria is another airport with not many passenger flights but is very busy at night with cargo flights eg. DHL and TNT but is not owned by Aena. Sorry, Vitoria is owned by Aena but Lleida is not.

[davidjohnson6]

Burgos airport lost scheduled flights earlier this summer. Ryanair is now offering to come to the rescue - provided the local Govt can pay 1 million euros in marketing support per year for 3 years and can make a decision within 10 days.

Link (in Spanish but Google Translate makes it reasonably intelligibleto readers in English)
Ryanair se ofrece a volar desde Burgos a cambio de un millón de euros anuales - Diario de Burgos (http://www.diariodeburgos.es/noticia/Z08118960-AFAD-2A8F-A5DADB2756E98221/20150920/ryanair/ofrece/volar/burgos/cambio/millon/euros/anuales)

[davidjohnson6]

Logrono to lose its last schedule route at the end of October 2019 - 6x weekly to Madrid. Possibility that PSO cash might be found to keep it going