Fuerteventura Airport - Millions Of EU Money Wasted

[woe10]

A damning new report by Europe's spending watchdog lists Fuerteventura airport among examples in Spain of needless use of EU funding.

According to the European Court of Auditors, millions of euros of EU money were spent on extending Fuerteventura's airport, but it will take several decades for the investment to produce dividends.

http://www.islandconnections.eu/1000003/1000043/0/44292/daily-news-article.html

[Ivemovedon]

If you hand people lots of money they will find something to waste it on when all other viable projects are exhausted. Cant Blame the island. If the EU are stupid enough to dish it out who's to blame but themselves ( and ourselves for belonging to it). Nice to know my hard graft has helped pay for those half dozen carousels sitting there doing nothing. I'll look at them in a different light from now on. 

[Ivemovedon]

Thats strange . people who live there have said Caleta is dead at night. Who to beleive?. And theres no doubt the airport has a capacity much larger than it actually handles. I also doubt theres many tourists pick a destination for its airports facilitys. I certainly don't. In fact some of the more charming places i've been to have had very little in the way of a modern airport.

I'm unaware Wembley was paid for by EU funds. So when i see it half full i don't feel i've been personally ripped off. Unlike the empty carousels.

[bedouin]

The extension supposedly cost over â,¬200 million.  Capacity is now said to be 8 million passengers a year, versus current actual passenger numbers of 4 to 5 million.  I have to say the airport does seem rather spacious.

[PHo]

It is still possible to see the airport without a single plane on the ground, albeit only for a few minutes.

[Ivemovedon]

i never made the comment...woe did. I'm not a Caleta person so don't know myself one way or the other.

As for silly comments Wembley was a stormer. best off taking your own advice.

[cockney]

It was aways said that the terminal and runway extentions were to atract the American market. Hence the american group hotels and the golf courses. Hopefully as the world economy picks up this will come about.

[ashworth]

Not sure Americans would come to Fuerteventura. They have Florida on there door step. The big increase you will see here in the next few years will be the North Europeans. So the Airport that actually cost 55 million Euros will be a great investment paid for from German EU money,

[woe10]

Not sure Americans would come to Fuerteventura. They have Florida on there door step.

The majority of Americans I have met here, actually live in the UK, or Germany. Usually military people on vacation.

Americans have Cancun on their doorstep also, it's heaving with them, also the rest of the Caribbean is only a short flight for most.
Americans coming here to play golf was the joke of the century a few years ago, together with the Jumbo Jet landing and taking off tests.
The "extended" runway was OK to land, but far to short for it to take off with a full load. End of Pipe-Dream.

[bedouin]

So the Airport that actually cost 55 million Euros will be a great investment paid for from German EU money,

You seem to be a bit short on facts.  Even the airport's own website says over â,¬237 million was allocated for the extension alone.  Note "allocated" doesn't mean it won't necessarily cost even more.

http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-Fuerteventura/en/Page/1237546906122//Extension-of-the-terminal.html

[PHo]

BA flights have just started, with a load of puff about connecting flights opening up the Island to the US. The only BA flight to London lands long after the last flight to the US has departed, so an overnight is needed, hardly connecting. Whereas if you get the early Easyjet, you could do it easily, and have been able to for years. Hasn't resulted in much of a flood, though.

[Ivemovedon]

Fact is its the European Court of Auditors who think the EU moneys been wasted. That in itself says it all. Airport capacity in years to come is just speculation. It relies on different national economies, and you'd do well to tell what thats going to be in 10 to 20 years time.   

[Ivemovedon]

Why remove posts ashworth. Even if you're wrong you're entitled to your opinion.

[Spike On Q]

I think we should have done what the Brits have done  -  wait till the major airports are operating at 99% capacity then start to put together a plan to provide additional landing facilities. It will only take 30 or 40 years to enact by which time the UK will be a little third world independent country with no industry, no influence in world financial markets, scratching around outside the EU for customers for overpriced products, etc., etc.

Meantime, Holland, German and France are becoming the major European air hubs [how many runways does Schiphol have NOW?] -  at least Johnnie Foreigner will not have to set foot on British soil. I'm sure our beloved leader is happy with the outlook

[Ivemovedon]

Little old UK is not doing too badly in comparison to the rest at the present time. And i doubt any airport improvements Britain decides to undertake will be EU funded in full or even in part. Its easy to spend the dinero when its not your own, whether the projects are justified or not.

[RVEEE]

Don't worry about over-capacity at Fuerte airport, these things have to be built before they can be used and under-capacity is crippling.

Compare it to Cardiff, where a few years back they installed some traffic cameras - they had to drive a police car back and fore through the site to check if they were working as there wasn't any proper traffic. Really. I was driving the car.

I drive straight past Cardiff to get to Bristol; I save hundreds of pounds per trip to Fuerte this way, a couple of years I actually drove all the way to Liverpool (4 hrs each way).

Empty carousels? Try empty airport.

[woe10]

I keep hearing Russian voices in caleta at the moment. What's going on 

[Brightspark]

I wish they never spent the money on the airport, at the end of the day Calleta could have done with a few more swanky bus stops if you ask me.

[Captain Sensible]

The cafe is open at the bus station, Woe

[woe10]

The cafe is open at the bus station, Woe

[bluefox]

there's a cafe just opened in the new part of the airport as well !......it is the airport we're talking about.........is'nt it ? ?