Spain, which attracts 50 million tourists a year, is building
its first private airport 200 km (125 miles) south of Madrid
in a bid to lure budget airlines away from the capital and
develop a deprived mining area.  The airport is expected
to be operational from the second half of 2006, is being
built on the plains of La Mancha, best known for
Cervantes's Don Quixote and will be named after the
windmill-tilting knight. 

The new airport has been nicknamed “Madrid's Luton” after
the British airport outside London which challenges
London's Heathrow and Gatwick, particularly in the budget
flight market. The Don Quixote airport will try to woo low
cost airlines with lower tariffs and flexible timetables. A
high-speed train link connects Ciudad Real with central
Madrid in 45 minutes, making it a viable alternative to the
capital.

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