Although the Murcia Regional Airport at Corvera is still lacking behind the performance of predecessor San Javier, passenger numbers have been looking slightly more favourable, but still a long way off target, causing a potential redirection and expansion into freight carriage.
The only thing the airport will need to realise this expansion, is companies willing to use it, although the location is key in a logistical sense, thanks to the location of an Amazon warehouse and distribution hub close by, as well as an abundance of food growers and distributors, and the necessary security staff to monitor the cargo as it transits through the airport.
The regional Minister of Development, José Manuel Pancorbo, who this Tuesday visited the airport together with the director of Corvera, Carlos San Martín, said that the implementation depends at this time on the Government Delegation reinforcing the Guardia Civil and National Police to manage the border inspection posts necessary to export goods to countries outside the European Union.
The Minister maintains that the terminal is ready to start operating, but it is necessary to reach “an agreement with the Ministry of the Interior to provide the personnel in charge of carrying out customs inspections at border posts.”
The management of shipments would be handled by companies dedicated to processing documentation and ground operations prior to the shipment of exports on airplanes, which “would be designated by the Ministry.” Pancorbo affirms that there are logistics companies that are interested in operating from Corvera with perishable products “that would be unviable to transport by road or by ship.”
He also explained that “there are Arab and Persian Gulf countries that would be willing to buy products from the Garden and pay what the plane transportation costs.” The idea is that companies begin to set up shop and once the logistics sector sees that this is competitive and that it is interesting, fresh products that require immediate consumption can begin to be exported outside the European Union, Pancorbo has advanced.
Corvera airport will turn five years old next January, but since its inauguration it has not managed to launch the transport of goods, despite the fact that fruit and vegetable exporters have shown interest for years.
His prediction is that once the logistics companies “see that it is interesting” and decide to start exporting, it will be possible to get the Government Delegation to provide the necessary personnel to manage the border points.
The Minister of Development also trusts that Corvera will be able to recover the travellers it reached in 2019, although he has recognised that the Alicante airport is “a great competitor”, which has achieved 20 percent growth this year, while the regional airport only has risen 5 percent.
He hopes that the flights from Madrid and Barcelona that will debut in early December will help facilitate the comeback.
He also recalled that next summer the Region will have new flights to Porto and has announced that there are currently talks to establish new connections with Italy.
