Madrid could get a second airport under revived €400m plan

A small aerodrome near the Madrid-Toledo border has revived a €400 million plan to handle up to 1 million passengers a yr. The proposed expansion would add a runway for larger aircraft and goal European flights, cargo services and personal aviation.

Casarrubios would grow from flying-school hub to passenger airport

The small aircraft, flying schools and maintenance hangars at Casarrubios del Monte could eventually share their runway with industrial passenger jets. Air City Madrid Sur has revived plans to remodel the privately owned aerodrome, positioned near the boundary between Madrid and Toledo, right into a public-use airport serving the Spanish capital. The revised proposal carries an estimated investment of €400 million.

Casarrubios currently has a 1,000-metre runway and handles around 65,000 non-scheduled aircraft movements a yr. Approximately 100 businesses operate at the location, mainly connected to pilot training and aircraft maintenance. Under the expansion plan, the present runway could be lengthened to 1,800 metres. A second runway measuring 3,200 metres would accommodate larger aircraft, while a passenger terminal and two terminals for personal aviation would even be built.

The airport could be designed for up to 1 million passengers annually, compared with the ten million envisioned when a much larger version of the scheme was presented in 2018.

Cheaper fares remain possible, but will not be guaranteed

The promoters see Casarrubios attracting point-to-point European services, executive aviation and air cargo. Its location beside the A-5 corridor could also support an adjoining logistics hub.

For future passengers, probably the most attractive possibility is bigger competition. An airport operator willing to supply lower charges could persuade budget airlines to open routes which are less appealing at Barajas. 

When Air City chief executive Javier Ruedas recently raised the proposal with Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson, Wilson reportedly welcomed competition over airport charges but acknowledged that he had not studied the Casarrubios project intimately.

Barajas is preparing its own €4.5bn answer

Casarrubios is being promoted partly as a approach to relieve pressure on Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, which handled a record 68.2 million passengers in 2025, three per cent greater than the previous yr. Air City argues that continued growth will eventually take Barajas towards the expanded terminal capability of roughly 90 million passengers.

Aena disputes the necessity for a rival airport. Its current priority is an investment programme value almost €4.5 billion for Madrid’s airports throughout the proposed 2027-2031 regulatory period. The work would enlarge terminals T4 and T4S, create a recent passenger-processing constructing, renew the boarding areas serving T1, T2 and T3, and prepare Barajas for brand spanking new metro and high-speed rail connections. Aena says the present 4 runways provide sufficient long-term capability.

Casarrubios would due to this fact be competing against a longtime airport undergoing one in every of the most important expansions in Spain.

Several approvals stand between the plan and its first flight

The €400 million proposal stays under examination by the joint Defence and Transport commission chargeable for assessing its compatibility with surrounding airspace. It would subsequently require public-use status, a master plan, environmental and planning approvals, and safety certification from the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA). 

The development would also expand the location from roughly 40 hectares to 1,300. Much of the encompassing land is rural, divided amongst different owners and would require rezoning. Regional authorities in Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha have previously declared the project to be of regional interest, but this doesn’t replace the required national and aviation approvals.

The earlier scheme stalled during that process and had once been expected to receive flights by 2024. No opening date, accomplished financing package or industrial airline agreement has been confirmed for the revised plan. For travellers, the deciding moment will probably be when an airline finally places Casarrubios on its booking page.