Albacete Airport is an airport operated by

Aena ENAIRE is the air navigation manager in Spain, certified for the provision of en route, approach and aerodrome control services. As a public corporate entity attached to the Spanish Ministry of Public Works, it is responsible for air traffic co ...

located about south of the city of

Albacete Albacete (, also , ; ar, ﭐَلبَسِيط, Al-Basīṭ) is a city and municipality in the Spanish autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, and capital of the province of Albacete. Lying in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula, the ...

, the capital of the

province of Albacete Albacete ( es, Provincia de Albacete, ) is a province of central Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. As of 2012, Albacete had a population of 402,837 people. Its capital city, also called Albacete, is ...

in Castile-La Mancha,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It shares the runway and some facilities with Los Llanos Air Base, operated by the

Spanish Air and Space Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December , equipment ...

. The airport is served by road CM-3203. It began operation as a civilian airport on 1 July 2003, after seventy-plus years solely used by the military. The first flight was flown by

Hola Airlines Hola Airlines (Baleares Link Express SL) was an airline based in Palma de Mallorca, Majorca, Spain. It operated European charter services. Its main base was Son Sant Joan Airport Palma de Mallorca Airport ( ca, Aeroport de Palma de Mallo ...

to the Balearic Islands. Albacete and

Ciudad Real Central Airport Ciudad Real International Airport or CRIA , previously known as ''Central Airport CR'', ''Don Quijote Airport'' and ''South Madrid Airport'', is an international airport and long-storage facility, situated south of Ciudad Real in Spain. Cons ...

are the only public airports in Castilla La Mancha. However, since the closure of Ciudad Real Central Airport and the cessation of scheduled services from Albacete, the region has been left without any scheduled passenger services.

History

Construction started in 1913, but was then quickly stopped, with operations only starting in 1929 after the Spanish Aviation Company (CEA) took up a contract for pilot training. During the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

, the base was used by military rebels, and from 26 July 1936 by the Republicans. On cessations of activities the newly formed Spanish Air Force established the 13th Bomber Squadron, later becoming Ala26. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

with an anticipated increase in civilian traffic, the Spanish government acquired the site in July 1946, increasing the runway to . Closed to civil traffic in 1955, in 1965, it reopened to the Albacete Flying Club. In 1962, Ala37 replaced Ala26, equipped with the Douglas DC-3 freighter. In 1975, Ala14 took over residency, equipped with the Dassault Mirage F1 fighter. In 1991, due to the promotion of

Albacete Balompié Albacete Balompié is a Spanish football team based in Albacete, in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Founded on 2 August 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División, the second tier of Spanish football, holding home matches ...

to the first division, the airport reopened to civilian charter traffic.http://www.scramble.nl/airfield-guide/albacete

Facilities

Opened again to civilian traffic in 2003, in November 2005 the Ministry of Public Works inaugurated the new Terminal Building, with a surface area of . Situated at an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...

of above

mean sea level There are several kinds of mean in mathematics, especially in statistics. Each mean serves to summarize a given group of data, often to better understand the overall value (magnitude and sign) of a given data set. For a data set, the '' ari ...

, today it has one

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concre ...

designated 09/27 with an

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

surface measuring . The civilian-run maintenance facility La Maestranza Aérea de Albacete is responsible for the modifications and overhaul of some military equipment, including all Dassault Mirage F1 (retired in 2013, replaced by

Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo ...

), Canadair CL-215 and

CASA C-101 The CASA C-101 Aviojet is a low-wing single engine jet-powered advanced trainer and light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Spanish aircraft company Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA). The C-101 was developed in response to a ...

Airlines and destinations

There are no scheduled services from Albacete Airport. The airport is only served by a number of charter services from carriers such as Privilege Style.

NATO TLP

Since July 2009, the base has been the site of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

's Tactical Leadership Program, taking over from Belgium's Florennes Air Base.http://www.scramble.nl/tlp

Accidents

Statistics

Total Passengers by Year:

References

External links

Albacete Airport
official

web site
Albacete Airport
at Google Maps *
{{authority control Airports in Castilla–La Mancha 1929 establishments in Spain Airports established in 1929