Spanish president Mariano Rajoy announced today that the much awaited opening of Murcia’s new Corvera international airport will happen this year.

The management contract has just been awarded to air terminal governing body AENA, which predicts at least a million passengers travelling through it during its first year of operations and up to four million a year by the time AENA’s 25-year franchise runs out.

As well as giving Murcia a much-needed tourism boost and triggering growth in the industry in the region, the airport will mean an additional 20,000 new jobs created.

Rajoy says the ‘arduous task’ of moving operations from Murcia-San Javier airport, near Cartagena, to Corvera has now started, and that he wants to see the new terminal up and running before the end of 2018.

Depending on AENA’s plans for San Javier this could mean that operations at San Javier airport would then be shut down so homeowners are advised to check before making any travel plans.