Chinese-led consortium lands 'ghost airport'

A Chinese-led consortium hopes to buy one of Spain's "ghost airports" for a knockdown price of 10,000 euros ($10,850) and turn it into an European freight hub for Chinese mainland companies.

Ciudad Real's Central Airport, which is about 235 kilometers south of the capital Madrid, became a symbol of Spain's spending frenzy during a construction boom that ended with the financial crisis of 2008.

Costing between 450 million and 1.1 billion euros to build, the airport opened for international flights in 2010. Three years later, the airport operator CR Aeropuertos went bankrupt after it failed to attract enough flights and passengers, with Ciudad Real's Central going into administration. Since then, it has remained virtually deserted and dubbed "one of the ghost airports" along with another airport in Castellon on the eastern coast, by the Spanish press.