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Date Published: 20/11/2024

Murcia airport under scrutiny again with new inquiry commission

Regional politicians are pushing for answers on finances, mismanagement and the airport’s future

Nine years after a failed attempt to investigate Murcia’s then-fledgling regional airport, a new parliamentary commission has been launched to scrutinise the finances, management and operational failures of the Region of Murcia International Airport in Corvera.

This move follows a High Court ruling which invalidated the regional government’s 36.4-million-euro damages claim against the airport’s former operator, Aeromur, due to procedural errors. The inquiry is supported by all parliamentary groups except the ruling PP.

The airport, which opened in January 2019 and is managed by Aena, has struggled to attract passengers and generate revenue. It has also been a financial drain on the regional government, which covered a 180-million-euro guarantee.

The new commission aims to investigate these issues, beginning with a review of contracts, expenditures and the handling of the failed claim against Aeromur, a consortium led by infrastructure operations company Sacyr.

In the parliamentary firing line

Deputy for the centre-left PSOE party, Alfonso Martínez Baños, said his party would request documents detailing construction and start-up costs, claiming even the regional government lacks clarity on the total expenditure. He also criticised the previous inquiry in 2015, which “achieved nothing”. His party plans to summon key figures, including the airport’s director, regional auditors and Luis del Rivero, the former head of Sacyr.

Far-left Podemos wants to understand why the damages claim against Aeromur wasn’t resolved within the legal timeframe after the 2013 contract termination. Deputy Víctor Egío criticised past regional presidents for ignoring the issue until 2019 and said the party would request appearances from Aeromur’s business partners to investigate any preferential treatment.

Far-right Vox shares these concerns, with deputy Rubén Martínez Alpañez calling the airport “bankrupt” and highlighting mismanagement by the regional Ministry of Public Works. Vox plans to summon figures like José Manuel Pancorbo, a former councillor, to uncover potential malpractice.

In a bid to increase activity at the underperforming airport, Aena has introduced a new incentive scheme for training flights. Airlines can receive a 50% refund on landing fees for such operations until October 2026. Ryanair has already begun using the airport for crew training with its Boeing 737 aircraft, which explains the increased presence of large planes flying around recently.

This move reflects efforts to maximise the airport’s usage, but critics argue that fundamental issues – financial mismanagement, lack of passengers and a costly Aena concession – must be addressed first.

Just last week, several airlines claimed, at the first ever Tourism Convention for the Region of Murcia, that a lack of hotels in tourist-heavy and coastal areas was stopping them from favouring Corvera Airport for the creation of new flight paths.

The parliamentary commission is expected to reveal its findings over the coming months, with hopes of finally clarifying the full economic impact of this controversial project on Murcia’s public finances.

Image: ITREM