Murcia International Airport.

Corvera, Murcia.

According to the regional president, the new international airport would ”not cost any money to the taxpayers” because it would be operated by a private concession. However, the region of Murcia had to underwrite a loan of €200 million to the concessionary company in order for the construction to proceed. The problem with this airport is that it is located only 20 km away from the San Javier Airport, so close that their air space is incompatible. The regional government urged the state owned network AENA to close San Javier Airport, but AENA had just invested 70 million euros in improving its facilities and wanted to be compensated for it, something the regional government refused to do. In this way, the new airport has been finished and closed for three years, and still there is not a clear solution for this dead end. Meanwhile, the concessionary company has initiated legal actions in order to recover its investment, which in the end might be paid by the taxpayers."