Spain's 'ghost airport', Ciudad Real International Airport (CRIA), has officially reopened after being shut for 14 years. Located around 150 miles south of Madrid, the airport was originally designed as an alternative to Madrid's Barajas Airport. Built at a cost of €1 billion (£864 million), it opened in 2008 as Spain's first privatised international airport, with high-profile shareholders backing its cargo and passenger flight operations.
History of the Airport
CRIA features one of Europe's longest runways, stretching almost 2.5 miles. Airlines such as Ryanair, Air Berlin, and Vueling briefly operated there. However, plans for a railway connection never materialised, and the two-hour drive from Madrid centre caused it to struggle to attract customers. Despite expecting 5 million annual visitors, the airport carried only 190,000 passengers during its entire operation, averaging three flights a week, and eventually closed in 2012.
Sale and Reopening
The judge in charge of its administration ruled it should be sold off, with an asking price of €100 million (£86 million). After languishing on the market for years, the airport was put on sale with no minimum asking price in 2015, provided the new owners assumed its €290 million debt (£251 million). Since then, the site has mainly been used for pilot training and aircraft storage, hosting 70 planes during the Covid pandemic.
It was announced this week that CRIA will officially resume operations later this year, with its abandoned 28,000 sq ft terminal welcoming passengers for the first time in over a decade. New managing director Rafael Gómez Arribas confirmed Ciudad Real will operate private flights mainly from Europe and the US, as well as specialist aviation, rather than commercial journeys. This could help ease pressure for other Spanish airports dealing with millions of commercial travellers annually. Private flights hit a record 3,878,836 trips in 2025, with Spain ranking fourth in Europe for charter jet usage in 2022, behind the UK, France and Germany.
Comparison with Other Airports
Coventry Airport recently took its last ever flight after 90 years, with Take That among its final passengers. Manston Airport in Kent, dormant for over a decade, has started steps to reopen by 2029 after being purchased seven years ago. Similarly, Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), closed in 2022, is on the path to be given a new lease of life thanks to a £57 million loan from Doncaster Council. Like Ciudad Real, it was deemed not financially viable, shuttering in November 2022 after 17 years. DSA aims to be up and running again for Easter 2028, with plans to operate freight flights in 2027, akin to Ciudad Real.
