Antequera is getting ready to take off - almost literally.
Plans for a new international airport in the area are well under way, although subject to approval from AENA, the airport authority, which is studying the compatibility of the proposed new airport with future expansion plans for Malaga Airport. Also being studied is the effect the new airport could have on existing flight paths in the province. If approved, the new Antequera Airport, to be built by the Vera Group, will be the first private airport in the province.
AENA carried out a preliminary study in October 2005 on possible operative and technical difficulties in relation to the location of the two airports, and the Airport Authority then determined that “given the possible interaction” that could arise from the existence of the two airports, it would be necessary to request “more information from the promoters, in order to continue compatibility studies.” According the sources from within AENA, new information has been sent on to them and it is being analysed. A definitive reply is expected within three months, and it will then be the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority to approve the project or not. If approved, the new airport will be built on land close to the main Cordoba road, the N-331.
The promoters, the Vera Group, have presented a viability study to the Ministry for Public Works. The mayor of Antequera, Ricardo Millán, tells us that he has information from the Minister, Magdalena álvarez, and from the president of AENA, Manuel Azuaga, that the project is likely to be given the green light in the near future.
If that is the case, and if building work is carried out on schedule, the new airport in Antequera will be open for business at the end of 2009 or the beginning of 2010, to be used mainly by low-cost airlines. In fact, while all the paperwork is being done, the promoter and construction company are having talks with representatives of the principal low-cost airlines about the possibility of their using the proposed new airport. The airport will also handle cargo transportation, we are told by the director of the project, José María de la Maza.
Good for Malaga The new airport, being fully international, will be very good for Malaga Airport as well, says the mayor of Antequera, Ricardo Millán. “Although Malaga Airport will continue to expand, the increasing rate of passenger numbers shows that it will still become overcrowded in a short time,” he says. He believes that the new airport will be the fourth pillar of the economy of the region. “We are on the crossroads between the two principal motorways in Andalucía, the AVE station will be built here soon, and the Bobadilla-Granada line is also being studied. If we add the new airport, we will be in contact not only with the principal cities in Andalucía, but with the big capitals all over the world,” he says.
