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 parked ​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.

Reuters has seen a schedule that predicts the arrival of about 20 aircraft, including 17 Qatar Airways planes, by the end of Saturday.

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 searching for safer places to park their planes, and Europe fits the bill."

On Friday morning, only a handful of individuals, primarily pilots and crew, emerged from the industrial airport, situated 300 km (185 miles) from Madrid.

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."

Source: Reuters