FILE - 7 AUGUST 2013: The Ciudad Real airport in La Mancha, Spain is up for auction with a debt of over 500 million Euros. The relatively new airport is part of a series of major expansions throughout Spain costing the Spanish tax payer billions of euros and numerous EU grants without the projects ever being completed. Spain is currently in the grip of an economic crisis which it is struggling to recover from. CIUDAD REAL, SPAIN - JULY 06: The terminal building of Cuidad Real International Airport stands dormant after closing in April 2012, when all scheduled flights ceased to operate to or from it, on July 6, 2012 in Ciudad Real, Spain. The large international airport, which was completed in 2009 at a cost of 1.1 billion euros, was intended to serve both Madrid and the AndalucÌan coast, accessible in 50 minutes via a high speed rail link, however lack of demand driven by Spains economic crisis has seen closure after just three years. Despite having the fourth largest economy in the Eurozone, the economic situation in Spain remains troubled with their unemployment rate the highest of any Eurozone country. Spain is currently administering billions of euros of spending cuts and tax increases in a bid to manage its national debt. Spain also has access to loans of up to 100 billion euros from the European Financial Stability Facility which will be used to rescue the country's banks that have been badly affected by a crash in property prices. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)
The airport has been deserted for over a decade (Picture: Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

A Spanish airport that was once put on sale for £1 (albeit with a few hundred million pounds of debt) has now reopened after being shut for 14 years.

Known as the country’s ‘ghost airport’, Ciudad Real International Airport (CRIA), located around 150 miles south of Madrid, was originally designed to be an alternative to the city’s Barajas Airport.

Following a €1billion (£864million) build, it opened in 2008, becoming Spain’s first every privatised international airport, with several high-profile shareholders backing its aim of running both cargo and passenger flights.

With one of Europe’s largest runways, stretching almost 2.5 miles, airlines such as Ryanair, Air Berlin and Vueling briefly operated there.

However, despite plans for Ciudad Real featuring a railways connection, this never materialised, and the two-hour drive from Madrid centre caused it to struggle to attract customers.

Despite expecting 5 million annual visitors to pass through its doors, the airport went on to carry just 190,000 passengers during its entire operation, averaging out at a mere three flights a week, and eventually closed in 2012.

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FILE - 7 AUGUST 2013: The Ciudad Real airport in La Mancha, Spain is up for auction with a debt of over 500 million Euros. The relatively new airport is part of a series of major expansions throughout Spain costing the Spanish tax payer billions of euros and numerous EU grants without the projects ever being completed. Spain is currently in the grip of an economic crisis which it is struggling to recover from. CIUDAD REAL, SPAIN - JULY 06: A partially complete walkway which was due to link Cuidad Real International Airport with an adjacent train station stands dormant after closing in April 2012, when all scheduled flights ceased to operate to or from the airport, on July 6, 2012 in Ciudad Real, Spain. The large international airport, which was completed in 2009 at a cost of 1.1 billion euros, was intended to serve both Madrid and the AndalucÌan coast, accessible in 50 minutes via a high speed rail link, however lack of demand driven by Spains economic crisis has seen closure after just three years. Despite having the fourth largest economy in the Eurozone, the economic situation in Spain remains troubled with their unemployment rate the highest of any Eurozone country. Spain is currently administering billions of euros of spending cuts and tax increases in a bid to manage its national debt. Spain also has access to loans of up to 100 billion euros from the European Financial Stability Facility which will be used to rescue the country's banks that have been badly affected by a crash in property prices. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)
The airport has one of Europe’s largest runways (Picture: Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

The judge in charge of its administration at the time ruled it should be sold off, with an asking price of €100million (£86million).

But after languishing on the market for years, the airport was put on sale with no minimum asking price in 2015 — providing 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, but no scheduled flights, during the Covid pandemic when airlines needed space to park grounded fleets.

However, 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.

A view of the unfinished walkway at Cuidad Real airport in Spain, with sandy and deserted land all around.
Since closing, the site has mainly been used for pilot training and aircraft storage (Picture: Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

In a statement, new managing director Rafael Gómez Arribas confirmed Ciudad Real will operate private flights mainly from Europe and the US and specialist aviation, rather than commercial journeys.

So although most holidaymakers likely won’t get a chance to see it for themselves, those travelling via charter planes may now be redirected to the hub.

This could help ease pressure for other Spanish airports, which are already dealing with millions of commercial travellers a year.

Meanwhile, 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.

FILE - 7 AUGUST 2013: The Ciudad Real airport in La Mancha, Spain is up for auction with a debt of over 500 million Euros. The relatively new airport is part of a series of major expansions throughout Spain costing the Spanish tax payer billions of euros and numerous EU grants without the projects ever being completed. Spain is currently in the grip of an economic crisis which it is struggling to recover from. CIUDAD REAL, SPAIN - JULY 06: The virtually empty car park in front of Cuidad Real International Airport which stands dormant after closing in April 2012, when all scheduled flights ceased to operate to or from it, on July 6, 2012 in Ciudad Real, Spain. The large international airport, which was completed in 2009 at a cost of 1.1 billion euros, was intended to serve both Madrid and the AndalucÌan coast, accessible in 50 minutes via a high speed rail link, however lack of demand driven by Spains economic crisis has seen closure after just three years. Despite having the fourth largest economy in the Eurozone, the economic situation in Spain remains troubled with their unemployment rate the highest of any Eurozone country. Spain is currently administering billions of euros of spending cuts and tax increases in a bid to manage its national debt. Spain also has access to loans of up to 100 billion euros from the European Financial Stability Facility which will be used to rescue the country's banks that have been badly affected by a crash in property prices. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)
It will focus on private flights at present (Picture: Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

In other travel news, Coventry Airport recently took its last ever flight after 90 years, with Take That among its final passengers, while 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 International Airport, it was deemed not financially viable, shuttering in November 2022, after 17 years in business.

DSA aims to be up and running again for Easter 2028, but plans to operate freight flights in 2027, akin to Ciudad Real International Airport.

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