Simon Wade
MURCIA region’s ‘new’ airport, Corvera, celebrates its first anniversary today, after an auspicious opening in January 2019.
Although the hi-tech replacement for the much-loved and much smaller San Javier Airport surpassed its own target of a million passengers in 2019, it still falls way short of its predecessor’s performance.
It only started making a profit in November, as it starts the long journey to recouping it’s huge €182m cost.
It took almost a decade to come into being, following fallouts between construction companies, builders and authorities.
Inaugural landings courtesy of Ryanair and grand official openings by King Felipe, himself, didn’t deter the airport’s detractors – especially those that had grown fond of the old San Javier operation.
After an overnight move from the Mar Menor site, staff and services started on January 15 of last year.
Corvera has maintained a number of national and international routes, but many only operate in the popular spring and summer months.
The facilities can handle up to 140 daily flights and 3,000,000 passengers a year, which is still only a fifth of Alicante-Elche’s current performance.
The Olive Press spoke with a group that monitor the statistics of the region’s newest airport, and they have plenty to say.
“Real Facts About Corvera” told us, “the main source of frustration and is the squandering of public money in replacing a perfectly nice and popular airport with another, simply because the Murcia-based politicians thought that the region’s airport should be closer to them!”
The group founder, who asked not to be named, added, “Jet2, EasyJet and Ryanair have all had fewer passengers per flight, even when EasyJet has bigger aircraft – the 30% bigger Airbus A321Neo – on some of its flights.”
“All the figures fall short of the objective to have connections to “all of Europe and half the world,” he continued.
After all, this is supposed to be Murcia International – what a joke!”
READ MORE: COSTA BLANCA AIRPORT SOARS HIGH WITH A RECORD 15 MILLION PASSENGERS PASSING THROUGH
