Despite having been open for several years, Spain's Castellon Airport welcomed its first-ever passenger flight Tuesday, the Telegraph reported.
The facility, which has come to be known as the country's "ghost airport," was constructed amid Spain's decade-long economic boom that came to an end with 2008's global financial crisis.
Irish low-cost carrier, Ryanair, which operated Tuesday's arriving flight from London, is currently the only airline operating passenger flights at the airport. The Dublin-based carrier operates three weekly flights from London to Castello, Spain, and will soon add service from Bristol as well, per the Telegraph.
British passenger Raphael Dauchy, who was among the 189 passengers arriving on Tuesday's Ryanair flight, called it "a historic day," adding that the milestone represents a "game-changer" for the region.
"It will make a difference in giving Castellon province more international exposure, which it really needs as it is quite dependant on tourism," Dauchy told the Telegraph. "I thought it would never happen."
Castellon Airport, which was inaugurated back in March 2011, is located roughly an hour northeast of Valencia Airport along Spain's East Coast. To the northeast, Barcelona El-Prat Airport is roughly two hours away.
The Telegraph reported the European Commission is currently investigating whether subsidies provided to the company operating the airport constitute illegal state aid. So far, constructing and maintaining the underused airport has cost Spanish taxpayers approximately €170 million ($192.2 million).
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