Top Gear airport

[More lookout]

What is the airport used in tonight's Top Gear test in Spain?

[Maverick8701]

I think it's this one.....
Castellón?Costa Azahar Airport - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castellón–Costa_Azahar_Airport)

[otrex]

No it's not. It is the Ciudad Real, south of Madrid.

[jarvis123]

Ciudad Real Central Airport - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciudad_Real_Central_Airport)

Lots of intetesting stuff on the net about it, and the corruption surrounding its development and subsequent collapse. Says a lot about Spanish profligacy.

[vctenderness]

It could have been one of about five unused airports in Spain! Maybe the top gear team could make it into a whole series testing at a different white elephant each week!

[goldeneye]

It's Ciudad Real airport.

[BOAC]

Shh! Do not wake goldeneye...............:p

[compton3bravo]

And what five are those airports - I only know of two - Ciudad Real and Castellon, maybe you could enlighten us please.

[TSR2]

And what five are those airports - I only know of two - Ciudad Real and Castellon

Not forgetting Corvera (Murcia) which has been ready for 2 years but not had a single flight.

[insuindi]

Huesca is a further new airport without activity.

[compton3bravo]

Sorry to disappoint but Huesca is alive and operational although only light aircraft and the occasional executive aircraft use it at the present time. Rather a nice little airport on the edge of the Pyrenees. It handled 1,200 fare paying passengers in 2012 mainly on ski flights which included Monarch.
Corvera has been ready to open for some time but has not yet had its required certificates from the authorities and nobody seems to know when this will occur!

[insuindi]

Should have been more precise - without significant passenger activities. If the figure of 1200 pax is correct, that is less than 1% of the designed terminal capacity. Which makes it a useless investment which I had the "pleasure" of visiting.

[davidjohnson6]

This might prove helpful
List of the busiest airports in Spain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_Spain)

Apart from Corvera, Castellon and Ciudad Real, there were quite a few airports in Spain with a runway over 2,000 metres but few passengers in 2012
Huesca - 1,313 passengers
Cordoba - 9,835 passengers
Logrono - 19,263 passengers
Burgos - 21,057 passengers
Salamanca - 22,716 passengers
Leon - 50,835 passengers

As a comparison for those in the UK, Plymouth airport in 2010 managed 96,498 terminal (i.e. non-transit) passengers, before the airport closed in December 2011.

[Mr Mac]

Lots of places for Ryanair to go to then when they fall out with current crop :E.

Mr Mac

[canberra97]

I am very surprised that Ryanair have not operated from Salamanca seeing how much of a tourist destination it is along with having a large university, it can be fairly difficult to get too from Madrid involving a lenghty train ride.

[vctenderness]

I did have my tongue firmly in my chubby cheeks when I posted! However 1200 passengers in a year is, obviously, 100 per month, which in my opinion is ridiculous. If it is near the Pyenees I guess most of them are during the ski season so rest of the year nada!

So if Corvera has not received its certification yet it still counts as one of the airports that have not been used does it not?

[wowzz]

The really stupid thing about Corvera, is that it is less than 30km from San Javier, where a second runway was being constructed at the same time as Corvera was being built.
Of course, this being Spain, the owners of the land purchased for Corvera have still not been paid!

[Aksai Oiler]

This is all to do with the size of the Juntas balls, I.e. ego

One question is the new runway at Malaga actually being used the days? I am aware it's operational, but in all my visits I have never seen an aircraft us it, and I fly out of it regularly.

[Stone Cold II]

I've used it once several months ago. Not seen any life on it before or since. Waste of money.

[TSR2]

The really stupid thing about Corvera, is that it is less than 30km from San Javier

Yes, and AENA spent 70million Euro's upgrading facilities at San Javier since Corvera was Built. I believe this is the point that is preventing Corvera from opening. AENA want that amount in compensation for the closure of San Javier but the owners of Corvera have no cash.

[Aksai Oiler]

I also believe the runway extension in Cordoba is complete, but not open. I read an article yesterday in El Pais moaning about what a waste it is to give Gibraltar €10.5 million in subsidies; to me it's a waste giving Spain any infrastructure funds if they build white elephants :*

[captplaystation]

Not much "smell of jet fuel in the morning" at Lleida either.

Basically the mentality between the local councils (during the time they were convinced money grew on trees - or at least was produced in a printing press in the Cajas ) was " you have an airport, so we will have to have one". If you read the opening self congratulatory cr@p spouted out when Catellon (wasn't) opened it was full of "finally this region has an airport".

When seen from the air descending into Alicante it is difficult to see exactly what catchment area between Valencia & Reus they hoped to attract the customers from/to. . but no doubt awarding the contract to "favoured" suppliers & pocketing the kick-backs , was achieved as planned :mad:


As regards Castellon

A $375,000, 24 metre tall statue of Carlos Fabra, the formerly powerful local politician who was the driving force behind its construction, was erected in the airport. Fabra has been under judicial investigation in connection with several cases of corruption and tax evasion.

probably says it all, Hell it is even visible from about 25,000ft. :yuk:

[virginblue]

I am very surprised that Ryanair have not operated from Salamanca seeing how much of a tourist destination it is along with having a large university, it can be fairly difficult to get too from Madrid involving a lenghty train ride.

Maybe Salamanca not willing to pay Ryanair to fly there? Nobody stops Ryanair from flying there...

[captplaystation]

Airports for everyone | In English | EL PAÍS (http://elpais.com/elpais/2011/05/10/inenglish/1305004841_850210.html)