Costa del Sol airfield reopens two weeks after the damage caused by the 'Dana'

The pilot schools and the Real Aeroclub de Málaga, which operate at the Aerodromo Leoni Banabú airport near Vélez-Málaga, have cleared the mud which accumulated on the runways and hangars when the River Benamargosa river burst its banks on 13 November

Eugenio Cabezas

Saturday, 30 November 2024, 08:05

The heavy rains that swept across Malaga province on 13 November caused the Benamargosa river and the mouth of the Vélez river in the east of Malaga province to burst their banks. The most extensive damage was recorded in the village of Benamargosa and in rural areas of Comares. However, the flooding also affected the Leoni Benabú airfield at El Trapiche, Vélez-Málaga, which was out of action for two weeks.

After almost 15 days of intense work, initially carried out by firefighters and Infoca agents, and in the following days by volunteers from the pilot schools and the Royal Malaga airclub, the site has been operational again since Tuesday 26 November.

Flooding affected the runway, taxi areas and hangars, as well as damaging the landing gear of some of the parked aircraft, as could be seen in the videos posted on social networks by users of the aerodrome, including those published by the Aguacate model airshow association on its Facebook page.

The Dana not only caused the water level to rise rapidly, but also submerged important infrastructure at the airfield. The runway, which normally accommodates numerous general aviation and sport aircraft, was covered in a layer of mud and water, making it completely impassable.

Mud and debris

Although work is still ongoing, including repairs to the perimeter fence and some hangars, the airfield is now operational again, allowing the return of aeronautical activities, including general and sport aviation flights, as well as pilot training and recreational activities of Aerodynamics and One Air, the two Malaga pilot schools that operate at the airfield.

The Leoni Banabú airfield has been open since 1992 and Vélez-Málaga town hall announced in October an agreement with the Real Aeroclub de Málaga for its expansion in view of the increase in operations, with 20,000 flights a year. The town hall ceded a municipal plot of land in the northern part of the site, measuring 16,599 square-metres, to increase the space for parking aircraft.

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