In summer 2012 a new international airport will open in the region of Murcia.  The privately-managed facility is outside the control of Spain’s main airport operator AENA and its management team believes that with brand new facilities designed for optimum efficiency and fast turnarounds and competitive prices, it can capture traffic currently using Alicante, Almeria and the local Murcia San Javier airports. 

The New airport is located  between the hamlets of Corvera and Valladolises, with work commencing in July 2008 and is due for opening  2012

The airport will have an initial capacity of three million passengers per annum but existing plans are in place to expand this to 8.7 million and 14 million in the future.   The single runway, aligned 05/23, will be 9,842ft (3,000m) in length and will be capable of handling aircraft up to Boeing 747 in size.

A key aspect of the facility is the fact that it is already authorised to operate 24 hours a day. This region has witnessed  rapid growth in the last decade thanks in a big part to the arrival of low-cost carriers which served the growing numbers of leisure travellers building their own holiday itineraries as well as the significant market of second home owners in this part of Spain the majority of which are from the UK .  Official Statistics show that 36 per cent of foreign visitors to the Región de Murcia actually stay in their own residence, the highest proportion of all Autonomous Communities and around 100,000 foreign citizens own a property on the coast in the catchment area of the Airport