Remote Spanish airport again becomes parking lot for planes, this time due to Iran war

By Corina Pons

TERUEL, Spain, March 20 (Reuters) - An airport in a dusty and remote corner of rural Spain has once again become a parking lot for aircraft stranded in Europe, this time due to the war with Iran, which has forced countries to close their airspace and airlines to reroute flights.

State-owned Teruel airport in eastern Spain, which normally serves as one of Europe’s largest aircraft maintenance and storage hubs, had around 140 planes park there over two years during the COVID pandemic.

Now its dry, salt-free climate, which lends itself to preserving planes, is being sought again by airlines whose timetables have been scrambled and are facing risks to jet fuel supplies because of the conflict in the Middle East.

It is expected to receive about 20 aircraft, including 17 Qatar Airways planes by the end of Saturday, according to a schedule seen by Reuters.

COMPANIES REVISING FLEETS, MANAGER SAYS

A former military base in Aragon province, which has become a byword for the rural depopulation known as the Empty Spain phenomenon, Teruel airport habitually receives two aircraft a day.

On Friday, around 10 wide-body jets - the world’s biggest commercial aircraft - were due to arrive, the majority operated by Qatar Airways.

A Qatar Airways A380 landed mid-morning after departing from London. Two of the airline's A350s and a Boeing 787 had landed by late afternoon. Qatar Airways did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on its plans.

"It's not normal," said Alejandro Ibrahim, general manager of the terminal. "Companies are revising their fleets and routes and looking for safer places to park their planes, and Europe fits the bill."

Just a few people, mainly pilots and crew, could be seen leaving the industrial airport, located 300 km (185 miles) from Madrid, on Friday morning.

With capacity for 250 wide-body and up to 400 narrow-body aircraft, Teruel is one of Europe’s largest storage facilities.

"We’ve acted as a refuge and supported global air transport,” Ibrahim said.

Since Teruel does not handle passengers, planes can sit without issue on the tarmac, he said.

The airport's operators cannot say how many more planes could arrive as the war continues, though several Middle Eastern airlines that fly regularly to Europe are among its regular clients.

"We're working week to week because there's no clear horizon and it really depends on the companies ... how this could all develop in the coming months," he said.

What is preferable for business are the quick-turnaround maintenance contracts that are the airport's usual work, he added.

"What we would like is for (the conflict) to end, because our important business is aircraft maintenance. The more planes fly, the greater activity our airport has."