Despite a massive investment of over £1bn, an unfortunate mix of permit and planning hiccups saw this Spanish airport close less than four years after opening
While some airports have a reputation for their state-of-the-art attractions, one has gained notoriety for being a ghost town. Despite receiving more than £1bn for construction and development, this Spanish airport has sat unused for decades.
Ciudad Real Central Airport (CQM), also known as Don Quijote Airport, opened in 2008 with expectations it would become a major transport hub and relieve pressure on Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD). It was Spain’s first private international airport and was designed to welcome up to 2.5 million passengers, being just 2.5 hours away from Madrid.
The development amassed the full support of the Ciudad Real Chamber of Commerce, but, obtaining the necessary permits proved difficult and environmental regulators were concerned the airport’s runway infringed on a protected bird site.
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Unfortunately, the delays to construct Ciudad Real Central Airport saw Madrid’s Barajas Terminal 4 to become operational first. Thus, the need for the alternative airport was reduced and plans for a high-speed rail link to Madrid meant CQM was relatively redundant before it even opened.
Still the airport opening went ahead and the first flight from Ciudad Airport took off on December 18, 2008. The airport had difficulty attracting airlines and passengers, reportedly serving only 190,000 passengers during its short time in operation.
CQM did run services for Air Berlin – before it filed for insolvency in 2017 – with flights to Mallorca for a short spell. By 2010, the airport only operated two flights a day, a far cry from the major airport hub it was expected to be.
Even Vueling, the budget Spanish airline, pulled out of the airport in October 2011 citing low profits. The reputation of the airport was further tarnished when local media reported that drug traffickers had tried to use the airport’s cargo terminal to smuggle cocaine from South America and Africa.
After Vueling ceased its operations at CQM it operated only private and charter flights until its closure on April 13, 2012. In less than four years, the billion-pound airport became a derelict ghost town.
While the Spanish airport never reopened to the public, it did not fall completely out of use. The site has been used for filming movies and TV shows like Top Gear. In September 2019 CQM reopened as a maintenance base and became a great resource during the pandemic.
During the start of the pandemic, flights from China carrying PPE used Ciudad Real Central Airport as a distribution hub. It also served as a storage and maintenance centre for grounded aircraft. By mid 2021 though, the airport closed again as air travel went back to normal. Some aircrafts were left on the tarmac though and are visible through the airport’s fences.
Today, CQM has been modified for aviation logistics, aircraft parking and maintenance. Pilots use the airport for training as well, with the 13,500-ft runway still one of the longest in Europe.
