Murcia's New International Airport

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.

San Javier witnessed rapid growth in the last decade thanks in a big part to the arrival of low-cost carriers in Murcia. These were serving the growing numbers of leisure travellers building their own holiday itineraries as well as the significant market of second home owners in this part of Spain. Official Statistics show that 36 per cent of foreign visitors to the Región de Murcia actually stay in their own residence, the highest proportion of all Autonomous Communities and around 100,000 foreign citizens own a property on the coast in the catchment area of the airport (Región de Murcia, South Alicante, North Almería). As the table below illustrates, the majority of these are from Morocco and the United Kingdom, two of the principal markets the airport’s management are targeting.

The new airport is also well positioned to bring holidaymakers to the southern resort towns of the Costa Blanca as well as the new tourist developments taking place in Costa Cálida and North Almería, and when you study the current demand data for Murcia San Javier it is clear which are the largest markets for travel.

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.