Madrid Cancels Bizav Airport Plan

According to Spanish media reports, officials in the country’s capital, Madrid, have shelved plans to construct a $235 million general aviation airport south of the city in El Alamo. Citing budget cuts and demand forecasts, the administration of regional President Esperanza Aguirre is seeking to close Aeropuertos de Madrid, the government-owned agency that had completed the airport’s construction design plans. According to the Spanish Executive Aviation Association (Aesave), last year there were approximately 9,000 flights by business jets in Spain, half of them through the Madrid region. Those aircraft are currently required to use a terminal at Madrid Barajas International Airport, the country’s busiest, or the nearby military airstrip at Torrejon de Ardoz.