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MINISTER CONFIRMS CLOSURE OF SAN JAVIER AIRPORT
Mark Nolan / 2011-11-18 17:05:31
The Minister of Public Works, Antonio Sevilla, and Secretary of State for Transport, Isaías Táboas have this week signed the official agreement that effectively sees Murcia San Javier airport closed to commercial traffic.
All passenger flights will now be transferred to the new airport facility at Corvera, in the heart of a brand new development area where the likes of the new Paramount Theme park will open and already a range of hotels and tourists attractions are being built, in the hub of a new and easily accessible road network.
Despite Murcia San Javier having a new runway built only a few years ago and the redevelopment of the airport terminal buildings, an investment that cost some 60 million euro, the airport at San Javier will revert back to being one of military status under the Academia General del Aire.
The document signed between the two administrations commits both parties to promote and support the actions necessary for the "rationalization of civil traffic, while respecting the legitimate interests of Aena airports as current airport operator and its employees at the airport of Murcia San Javier ".
Both institutions have reached agreement on the importance of aviation and air transportation to economic development in the Region of Murcia, as well as to meet the connectivity needs of citizens and businesses, according to the Autonomous Community.
The Ministry of Development has been entrusted with the guardianship of the national airport authority, Aena Aeropuertos SA, who is responsible for the operation and management of airport services at airports managed by Aena, as well as civilian areas of airports which are open to civilian traffic.
The Murcia government has granted administrative concession to AEROMUR for the construction and operation of the International Airport of Murcia, which were commissioned and scheduled for completion in 2012.
The agreement made has been as a direct result of a dialogue that was opened some months ago into the viability of airport operations once the new facility is ready to open.
Meanwhile, as construction work is almost completed, the Spanish aviation safety agency, AESA, has issued notice that they will be starting inspections for the certification of Corvera airport, which will lead to the creation of a full plan and strategy of testing and licensing the airport for commercial operations.
Once the inspection period has been completed, which is expected to take a few months, it will pave the way for real flight testing to commence, as well as numerous simulations before finally being certified as a fully operational airport in the summer of 2012.
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Murcia is the top destination for Spanish investment
Murcia has been named as the top Spanish destination for investment, according to reports from TheMoveChannel.com.
The international property portal has reported that Property in Murcia is the most searched for out of all its Spanish destinations with the areas of La Manga Cartagena and Mar Menor proving especially popular.
The popularity of the area is being put down to a number of factors including the upcoming Paramount Theme Park and extensive upgrade works taking place on Corvera international airport both of which are set to significantly boost tourist numbers.
Property in the area is also a bargain. The average asking price for property in Murcia stands at €163,000, 62% below the national average of €263,000. The Paramount Park for example is expected to attract over 4 million visitors each year.
Director of TheMoveChannel.com Dan Johnson comments: “When compared to other well-known coastal destinations such as the Costa Blanca,Costa del Sol, the Costa Calida represents good value for money with ample distressed and bank repossessed stock available to purchase at heavily discounted rates. This coupled with future growth in tourism to the region and the 50 per cent reduction in IVA (VAT) until the end of the year makes this the ideal time to buy in Murcia."
Written by: A Place in the Sun Friday, September 16, 2011
Spain's new theme park to open ahead of schedule
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Sarah Kendell
The gargantuan Paramount Theme Park slated to be Murcia’s tourism saviour and ‘bigger than Eurodisney’ is now expected to open a year earlier than originally planned, according to local government sources.
Initial plans had the park, which includes several Disney-style ‘worlds’, half a dozen four and five star resorts and a 15,000 seat auditorium, scheduled to open in 2015, but the rapid opening of the new Murcia International Airport, combined with healthy investor interest from overseas, has seen construction plans speed up.
Work should now begin on the park early next year, with work to complete in 2014. With the new airport to open in spring next year, and Paramount Theme Park not far behind, it’s only a matter of time before Murcia becomes a tourist landmark not only for Spain, but for the entire Eurozone, says Chris Mercer of locally-based estate agents Mercers.
“Before long a European spotlight will fall on this area and our property sales are already rising from those keen to cash in on lucrative rental opportunities of the future”, says Mercer.
The park has already attracted considerable interest from investors, with Russian billionaire and casino operator Oleg Boyko having already made a visit to Murcia earlier this year to scope out the area’s potential.
A further international roadshow of investors from China, the UK and the UAE later this year is expected to flush out the bulk of the 1.3 billion euros needed to complete the project and its associated retail complexes.
Murcia International Airport news
Date: 07/05/2011
In summer 2012 a new international airport will open in southeastern Spain with ambitions to become one of the main gateways to the region. Región de Murcia International Airport is being built with a purpose...that without operational restrictions passengers will be able to fly to this region of Spain, popular with tourists and second home owners, when they want. The privately-managed facility is outside the control of Spain's main airport operator AENA and its management team believes that with brand new facilities designed for optimum efficiency and fast turnarounds and competitive prices, it can capture traffic currently using Alicante, Almeria and the local Murcia San Javier airports.
Work on the facility, located within the Municipality of Murcia between the hamlets of Corvera and Valladolises, commenced in July 2008 and is due for opening in April 2012. In fact, the terminal building, runway and apron areas are due for completion in the third quarter of this year to enable the process of certification by the State Agency for Aviation Security (AESA) to begin.
The airport will have an initial capacity of three million passengers per annum but existing plans are in place to expand this to 8.7 million and 14 million in the future. The 306,770 sq ft (28,500m2) terminal will be across three floors with scope for expansion both east and west and will initially have nine gates, potentially growing to 17 (eleven stands and six remote parking positions). At its opening there will be 25 check-in counters (increasing to 48 following proposed extensions) and four baggage reclaim belts (seven eventually). The single runway, aligned 05/23, will be 9,842ft (3,000m) in length and will be capable of handling aircraft up to Boeing 747 in size.
A key aspect of the facility is the fact that it is already authorised to operate 24 hours a day and this will offer a major competitive advantage over the Spanish city's existing commercial airport, San Javier, which is shared with the military. Although this airport was opened in the 1930s it only welcomed its first commercial passenger aircraft in November 1968. Since then development at the airport has been restricted with military operations taking preference on its single runway. Although a second runway has now opened for exclusive use by military aircraft, operations remain restricted due to the proximity of the two strips and restrictions on night time flights.
With such a strong demand from the UK, the airport is targeting a range of departure points in the country, including Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and the London airports of Gatwick, Luton and Stansted. It is also looking to develop new services to Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Ireland and Sweden, open domestic flights including routes to Barcelona, Madrid and Palma de Mallorca, and a regular link to Marrakech, Morocco.
But, Region de Murcia International Airport is not solely positioning itself as an alternative to San Javier but also as an alternative to Alicante. And, by tailoring its operation to the needs of the low-cost carriers, which make up a high proportion of traffic to both airports, it believes it will be able to attract a number of carriers. With Ryanair having already scaled back its activities in Murcia San Javier and plans to cut its network at Alicante this winter, it is sure to be among the airlines watching developments at Región de Murcia International Airport closely.