Murcia–San Javier Airport
| Murcia–San Javier Airport Aeropuerto de Murcia-San Javier | |||||||||||||||
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| IATA: MJV – ICAO: LELC | |||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public / Military | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Aena | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Aena | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Murcia and Cartagena, Spain | ||||||||||||||
| Location | San Javier, Spain | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 11 ft / 3.4 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°46′29″N 000°48′44″W / 37.77472°N 0.81222°W | ||||||||||||||
| Website | aena-aeropuertos.es | ||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Murcia–San Javier Airport (IATA: MJV, ICAO: LELC) is a military air base and civilian passenger airport located in San Javier, 17 miles (27 km) southeast of Murcia, Spain. It is operated by Aena (Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea, or Spanish Airports and Aerial Navigation), the Spanish airport authority.
Overview
Operations
The airport can handle aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 757. It has Category 5 fire cover by the IATA, and also has one ambulance available. Murcia is a popular destination for charter groups, and the airport is served by several charter airlines.
The military air base dates back to at least the early 1930s and is located at the northern end of the airport. It is used chiefly by Spanish Air Force piston and jet-engined training aircraft, including a well-known formation aerobatic display team which can often be seen practicing over the nearby Mar Menor. The military uses its own separate parallel runway and air traffic control tower with its glass windows.
In recent years, Murcia Airport has become much busier thanks to the arrival of several low-cost airlines. According to Aena, passenger numbers jumped from 88,608 in 1995 to 1,181,490 passengers in 2012.[1]
Replacement
The airport invested in a new €60 million runway and terminal buildings around 2004 to 2011 In November 2011, the Minister of Public Works Antonio Sevilla, and Secretary of State for Transport Isaías Táboas, signed an official agreement that effectively proposed to close the airport to civilian air traffic from 2012. However, the airport remains open. San Javier passenger numbers are falling with growing uncertainty about the new airport at Corvera. However, in the week of 13 December 2015: the Employment, Economy and Tourism Minister told the Spanish radio, Cadena Sur, Corvera airport "will open in 2017", having returned from an important regional committee meeting with Corvera dominating the talks.
Ever since 2012, Spanish media has been speculating about when Corvera airport will open. However, in mid-August 2016, Tumbit reported that Murcianos do not think Corvera airport will ever open. There seems to be two sides to the story once again - with the regional government reiterating the airport is "months from opening" but AENA are now showing their full commitment and support towards San Javier instead of Corvera.[2] In early September 2016, Murcia Today reported that local businesses close to the new international airport at Corvera do not think it will open until 2018 at the earliest, this is because of the long-running dispute between the contractors and the Murcian government.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Seasonal: Dublin |
| British Airways | London-Heathrow (begins 28 March 2017)[3] |
| easyJet | Bristol, London–Gatwick |
| Iberia Regional operated by Air Nostrum | Madrid |
| Jet2.com | Seasonal: Edinburgh (resumes 31 March 2017),[4] Leeds/Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Norwegian Air Shuttle | Seasonal: Bergen, Oslo–Gardermoen, Stavanger, Trondheim |
| Ryanair | Birmingham, Dublin, Eindhoven, London–Luton, London–Stansted, Manchester Seasonal: Bournemouth, East Midlands, Leeds/Bradford, Prestwick |
| TUI Airlines Belgium | Antwerp,[5] Charleroi |
References
- ↑
- ↑ http://www.tumbit.com/news/articles/11317-no-sign-of-closure-for-murcias-san-javier-airport.html
- ↑ http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/269632/british-airways-adds-new-heathrow-europe-routes-in-s17/
- ↑ http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14459849.Budget_airline_adds_three_new_Scottish_destinations_for_record_breaking_summer_2017_schedule
- ↑ http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/269296/jetairfly-adds-new-spainnorth-africa-routes-in-w16
External links
Media related to Murcia–San Javier Airport at Wikimedia Commons