Castellon Airport was completed over a year ago and has still to receive its first passenger as news comes that the Aviation Safety Agency standards have not been met and redevelopment works will have to commence, widening the runway before the airport can open for business.

Estimated to have cost €150m to build, the transport facility was expected to attract a flock of tourists to the region yet encountered trouble getting airlines to land there. It has not been disclosed who will be funding the widening of the runway.

The airport’s website already outlines the opportunity for expansion despite the facility’s initial difficulties attracting passengers and airlines, stating: “It is feasible to develop the airport in several phases, so that the infrastructure will grow with air traffic demand and the needs of users, reaching its peak some time after becoming operational.”