Walter Finch
SPAIN is weighing the possibility of converting an airport south of Madrid into an emergency migrant reception centre.
Ciudad Real Airport, located in Castilla-La Mancha roughly 200 kilometres south of Madrid, was initially developed as an alternative to Madrid-Barajas Airport but went bankrupt in 2012 due to low passenger traffic.
Despite its strategic location and modern facilities—including a 24,000-square-metre terminal and one of Europe’s longest runways at 4,000 metres—the airport has struggled to attract consistent commercial flights.
Instead, its new use has been proposed as European Union leaders debate migration strategies at a summit in Brussels.
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The move comes as part of broader discussions about managing irregular arrivals across Europe.
The Spanish government is evaluating multiple sites, with Ciudad Real among the candidates for a temporary shelter for migrants.
However, the proposal has sparked opposition.
Francisco Cañizar, the mayor of Ciudad Real, expressed strong disapproval, describing it as tantamount to a ‘concentration camp’ and arguing that it would lack the necessary humanitarian standards for those arriving.
Emiliano García-Page, president of Castilla-La Mancha, the region where the airport is situated, said he was unaware of the government’s plans.
The debate coincides with increasing pressure on Spain’s borders, particularly in the Canary Islands, which has received nearly 70% of the 43,000 migrants who arrived in the country over the past year.
The EU summit is expected to be contentious, with some member states, including Poland and the Netherlands, advocating stricter migration policies.
With the spotlight on migration policy at the EU level, the outcome of these debates may shape the future of Spain’s involvement in managing Europe’s migrant crisis.
