ARCHIVED - Government says its premature to be discussing Corvera Airport opening dates.

Technical complexity of the flight path routing means it is premature to talk of Corvera Airport opening dates.

Confusion has been expressed recently by several readers who have been querying dates projected for the opening of the new International airport at Corvera.

The confusion has arisen following reports that the airport would be opening in October of this year.

In April of 2012, the President of the Region of Murcia, Ramón Luis Valcárcel, told reporters that the airport would not be opening fully until the summer season of 2013, as "we want to do things well, and with all guarantees. Were not going to do this in a hurry."

At this point, the reason for the delays was being given as the complicated nature of the paperwork procedures involved and the change in government, which had taken place in November and involved the appointment of new ministers and personnel, all of which was slowing down processing of the licence application. The President also said that although the Ministry for Development had expressed a favourable opinion towards the transit of the paperwork that a vast list of reports and details were required in order to open the airport. In a conversation with a La Verdad reporter, he said that the transfer of commercial activities would have to wait until the winter, which meant that the airport wouldnt become fully operational until next summer.

However, after Semana Santa the President met with representatives from AENA and the possibility was mentioned that the airport could open in October. These comments have subsequently been reported in the regional press, hence the confusion.

This date is now being put forward in some quarters as being the projected opening date for the new airport.

Between the dates of the 23rd and 29th of April, calibration flights were carried out in the new airport, an essential element of preparing flight paths for incoming aircraft and testing safety and navigation systems.

Not long afterwards, comments started to appear in some of the less mainstream news sources within the region, claiming that the whole project was in the air as the location of the airport would make flight control difficult,  given its proximity to not only the military base of San Javier, but also to the military parachute school at Alcantarilla.

On 16 May La Verdad published an article pointing out that these complexities existed.

This week, the incoming director of the San Javier Air Academy brought the unresolved nature of the issue to public attention when he mentioned it during questions from journalists following his meeting with the government delegate.

During the period which has elapsed between the first comments arising, the PSOE ( socialist) Senator for Murcia, Ramón Ortiz, has officially raised the subject of the licensing issues with The Ministry for Development. They have indicated in their response to his question that indeed Corvair has "a complex location from the point of air traffic control services, as a consequence of the restrictions imposed through the military activity of the bases of San Javier and of Alcantarilla."

The future airport is located within the control zone of the San Javier air base, which has various exclusion zones for the training flights of cadets from the air Academy, as well as being close to the airspace of the parachute school base at Alcantarilla. This is also "immediately below a restricted zone of high interest for the operations of the air force in this zone," as well as being close to several Private Aerodromes.

There is also the question of airspace currently being used by Almeriaand Alicanteairports.

All of these restrictions make the question of airspace operation a complex one.

The central executive explained that the design proposal has been drawn up for the flight path and navigation routes and that these were pending presentation and approval on the part of the Interministerial defence commission. Although the calibration flights have been carried out all of the report analyses still have to be reviewed following the flights and providing the reports were favourable, these would then be presented for approval. Finally, it was confirmed that negotiations were still underway between the airport concessionary, Aeromur and Aena, reference the operation of services within the airport.

The airport concessionary Aeromur, and the Regional Government, are confident that the complex issues of military air space and flight paths can be resolved in the same way that they have been in order for the airport at San Javier to operate compatibly with both military and civilian flights taking place, according to La Verdad  yesterday.

However, the response given by the central administration in answer to the question by the Socialist party is that they do consider it "premature" to give any sort of concrete dates for commencement of operations at the new airport "due to the technical complexities of the processes which still have to be resolved."

Quotes source : La Verdad

For history relating to Corvera airport, Click Corvera Airport