The brand new airport dubbed Murcia International (perhaps rather grandly) opened in the middle of January and was inaugurated by the King of Spain who flew in from Madrid.
A few weeks later I flew back to the UK and took a few snaps. It’s a much bigger airport and clearly running at nowhere close to capacity and thus feels like a cavernous almost empty space. Facilities are not yet fully operational. There is a Costa before security but afterwards there are only vending machines and a meagre duty free selection although more is planned. Four licences for catering have been granted, including one for a Subway.
Anyone who used San Javier airport (MJV) over recent years will likely have fond memories of the small efficient facility where you didn’t have to walk far at all and there was seldom any need to queue at security. Using it for arrivals or departures was always quick and unstressful even if the services were not lavish.
Murcia International is much bigger but not overwhelming and certainly not as sprawling as Alicante. And because it is a permanent fixture (MJV was a temporary measure and has returned to being purely a military airport) it looks set to benefit from improved transport links.
Superior bus services to Murcia city, Cartagena and Mar Menor will offer good regional connections and, more importantly from my perspective, a direct bus link to Mazarron is expected in high season. In due course, the new airport will also be connected to the high speed rail network (although that could take some years) and flights to Madrid may start soon too.
