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By Elena Rodriguez
TERUEL, Spain, May 12 (Reuters) - Dozens of passenger
jetliners belonging to European carriers stand idled in neat
lines in what has become a giant aeroplane parking lot amid the
flat farmlands of eastern Spain.
Teruel Airport specialises in the storage and maintenance of
aircraft, and business has boomed since coronavirus lockdowns
globally forced airlines across Europe to ground fleets for
several weeks. No end is in sight for many.
Planes showing the markings of commercial airlines including
British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France stand parked, buffeted
by the spring wind blowing across the plain.
"Teruel's climate is dry - semi-desert with more than 250
days of sun per year," said airport manager Alejandro Ibrahim.
"Also there is very little air traffic congestion which
makes it the ideal place for plane preservation and
maintenance."
The airport currently hosts 95 wide-body aircraft, including
eight of the world's largest passenger airliners - the Airbus
A380. The number of planes arriving per week to be parked in the
airport has doubled since the start of the global pandemic.
Two Air France Airbus A380s arrived on April 25, the first
ever to be hosted at the airport. Eight of this model are now
parked on the lot.
The airport, owned by the local government, has not
increased its rates since the beginning of the crisis, Ibrahim
said.
Built on the site of an aerodrome used during Spain's
1936-1939 Civil War, it has a view of distant mountains.
Global aviation is facing a battle to survive, with most
flights grounded since March due to travel restrictions to
contain the pandemic. Airlines across Europe, including
Lufthansa and Air France-KLM, have sought state rescues.
The sudden stop to air travel has led to airlines struggling
to find space to store their planes. In Europe, some airlines
have grounded their entire fleets and are storing their aircraft
by parking them in airports, including on now-unused runways.
(Writing and additional reporting by Sonya Dowsett, Editing by
Angus MacSwan)
