No Planes…No Problem

CASTELLON Airport officially opened last Friday to much pomp and ceremony as is normal with such inaugurations. The politicians were present, backs were slapped and the champagne no doubt flowed, and yet something was missing. There were no planes. And there will be none for about the next six months.

However, politicians being the adept breed they are, are never ones to let inconvenient details spoil a good party, or in this case, a good photo opportunity.

Who needs planes at an airport when the politicians are the ones being photographed? No one, at least not here in the Valencia Region.

The airport has cost €150 million, funded by the Ministry of Development, it occupies 540 hectares and its impressive facilities include a 9,600 square metre passenger terminal (but no passengers) and a truly impressive 2.7km long and 43 metre wide runway (but no planes). It really is one heck of an airport. Worth every penny.

When asked where the planes were, the deputy President of Airport Concessions, Pedro Gimeno, commented that “it will be at least six months before any airlines operate normally from the facility, which never the less has been opened on Friday to escape the ban on such ceremonies and openings in the run up to the local elections on May 22.”

In layman’s terms they couldn’t have the party any later as such events are understandably banned to avoid rigged electioneering closer to the voting process itself. So even though the airport isn’t actually open, they pretended it was so they could have a bash anyway. And of course have some group photos taken.

Present at the opening ceremony were Carlos Fabra, the President of the Diputacion of Castellon and the ubiquitous Sr. Francisco Camps, the President of the PP for the Valencia region.

By Paul Deed