Ciudad real airport sold. It closed three years later, having hosted only two low-cost carriers, the flights of one subsidized by the Spanish government. 1 billion) during Spain’s construction boom of the early 2000s, this once-promising transportation hub would later earn Mar 8, 2025 · Spain’s Ciudad Real Central Airport was built with grand ambitions—to ease congestion at Madrid-Barajas Airport and become a bustling hub for low-cost and international flights. Mar 11, 2025 · A huge private international airport costing $1. Built with $1 billion USD (~1. Constructed at a cost of €1. Mar 8, 2025 · In the sun-scorched plains of central Spain sits a monument to ambition gone awry. Ciudad Real International Airport or CRIA (IATA: CQM, ICAO: LERL), previously known as Central Airport CR, Don Quijote Airport and South Madrid Airport, is an international airport and long-storage facility situated south of Ciudad Real in Spain. Ciudad Real Central Airport—with its gleaming terminal, pristine runway, and modern control tower—stands as a cautionary tale of economic hubris. Mar 7, 2025 · Built as Spain’s first private international airport, Ciudad Real Central Airport failed to attract airlines and passengers. Nov 16, 2019 · Imagine spending one billion euros on an airport and receiving no aircraft. 6 billion AUD), it was eventually sold Jul 10, 2025 · Opened in 2008, Ciudad Real Airport was set to be a gateway to the popular central region of Spain, including the capital, Madrid, the airport shut down just four years later. After years of empty facilities falling into disrepair, the facility has Jul 18, 2015 · An abandoned airport that fell victim to Spain's property bust is snapped up by foreign investors for €10,000 (£7,000) at a bankruptcy auction. Jul 18, 2015 · An abandoned airport that fell victim to Spain's property bust is snapped up by foreign investors for €10,000 (£7,000) at a bankruptcy auction. 1 billion opened up outside of Madrid, Spain, but it closed for good just three years later, selling for a fraction of what it cost to build. 1 billion, it was opened in 2009, when it became the first private international airport in Spain. Ciudad Real airport was the abandoned and mothballed project but the ghost airport just received its first aircraft. By 2009, the airport handled just Jul 19, 2015 · Ciudad Real Central Airport, an abandoned airport in Spain which cost €1bn to build, was sold for €10,000 at a bankruptcy auction. An international airport 150 miles south of Madrid sounded like a good idea because it would serve as a major hub for international and low-cost flights and relieve traffic at Madrid-Barajas Airport. The opening of Ciudad Real Airport was delayed until late 2008, by which time the global financial crisis had struck and air travel demand had all but collapsed. May 11, 2025 · Ciudad Real Central Airport (CQM), also known as Don Quijote Airport, opened in 2008 with expectations it would become a major transport hub and relieve pressure on Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD . When it opened up in 2009, Ciudad Real International Airport was Spain’s first private international airport. Instead, it became one of the most notorious infrastructure failures in aviation history, standing eerily empty as a Jan 15, 2023 · After costing over €1 billion to build, Ciudad Real International Airport opened in 2009. Apr 23, 2025 · Ciudad Real Central Airport in Spain was constructed with lofty goals in mind. Built for over €1 billion (around $1. jvzeyo rneck bpiqb ujlw vsosqnk vofxm vvahqima wmjlgj vnjmkv monuv