A group of private investors are building a second airport in the Murcia region. Original plans to have a 1.5 million passenger capacity has been doubled, with planners hoping the initiative to implement a capacity of 3 million will be approved while the building works are in progress. The opening date has also been shifted; originally slotted for 2009, the wait for Spanish government approval has pushed it back to 2010, with works to begin as soon as possible this summer.
The Aeropuerto Internacional de Corvera is to be located near the town of Corvera, about 20 minutes’ drive from Murcia’s capital city. The development has some residents and golf course owners concerned about noise pollution, although it remains to be seen exactly where the airport footprint will lie and whether flight paths will indeed be over locals’ heads. The current Murcia airport at San Javier pulls around 2 million people a year into the region, so this new airport is expected to provide an alternative route for low-cost airlines.
