Deserted: 5 once-promising airports left abandoned – and the stories behind them

Airports are more than just places where aircraft take off and land. They can also have crucial importance way beyond their own obvious remits. For instance, European airports contribute €851 billion to the economy and create 14 million jobs, according to the Airports Council International Europe (ACI EUROPE).  

But some, once full of promise, now stand closed and abandoned. 

Globally, more than half of all countries’ airports face the risk of closure or have already been abandoned, according to data from an MDPI academic research paper, published in September 2023. These obsolete airports often create problems including land waste, urban pollution and economic losses. 

But how does this happen? The causes are varied, but they include shifts in the economy, political decisions, lack of interest from travelers and unrealistic expectations.  

Here, AeroTime examines local reports, government data, and expert opinions to uncover the stories of five abandoned airports around the world that were once operational and full of promise, but which now stand forgotten. 

1. Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), United Kingdom 

Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), also known as Robin Hood Airport, was an international airport located at the former RAF Finningley base in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom. According to the airport’s official information, it was commonly referred to as either Doncaster Airport or Sheffield Airport on travel websites. 

The airport was opened in 2005, operated by Peel Airports, a division of the Peel Group, and owned by Vancouver Airport Services. It was home to the Doncaster Sheffield School of Flying, which provided flying lessons and pilot training. 

The airport had one runway, longer and wider than that of any other Northern England airport. This was because it was originally constructed as an air base for large bombers, requiring a runway of around 2,893 meters in length and 60 meters in width. This madeit suitable for widebodied, cargo-carrying or long-haul aircraft. 

The airport previously offered flights to locations such as Berlin, Dubrovnik, Paris, Alicante, and Mallorca. The last flight to leave the airport was flown by Wizz Air to Katowice, Poland, on October 29, 2022. The final flight arriving was a TUI service from Hurghada, Egypt, which touched down on November 4, 2022.  

However, since then, the future of Doncaster airport has remained uncertain. In July 2022, the Peel Group said the airport had never reached the necessary number of passengers to be profitable, and the situation worsened when Wizz Air announced it would stop using the airport as a base. 

The airport was closed in November 2022, reportedly due to financial issues and low passenger traffic. Despite attempts to improve operations, the airport failed to become profitable. The Peel Group highlighted low passenger demand and financial problems as reasons for the closure. 

However, local government institutions are now trying to reopen the airport due to its potential for driving growth across the north of the country. In April 2025, the South Yorkshire Mayor, backed by the UK government, announced a US$37.5 million (£30 million) devolved funding investment to reopen Doncaster Airport, which is expected to create 5,000 jobs and add US$6.25 billion (£5 billion) to the economy by 2050.  

On February 12, 2025, the City of Doncaster Council approved a US$12.5 million (£10 million) funding package to support the plan to reopen in Spring 2026. 

“The financial package will enable critical mobilisation works to continue and drive forward momentum in our drive to reopen the airport given its strategic importance to Doncaster, South Yorkshire and the North,” Doncaster Council Mayor Ros Jones said in a statement in February 2025. “This is the people’s airport, and I will do all I can to ensure it drives forward economic success, new jobs, growth and prosperity.”  

2. Ciudad Real International Airport (CQM), Spain 

Ciudad Real Central Airport (CQM), also known as Don Quijote Airport, opened in 2008 with the hope that it would have become a major transport hub akin to Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD). It was Spain’s first private international airport, costing around €1.1 billion.  

The Ciudad Real Chamber of Commerce, a local organization of businesses and companies in Ciudad Real, fully supported the airport project from the outset, believing that it would strengthen the local economy. However, obtaining the necessary permits proved to be difficult.  

The permit process took a long time, and environmental regulators were concerned that part of the runway was located in a protected bird area. The delays meant that Madrid’s Barajas Terminal 4 became operational before Ciudad Airport was able to. 

The first flight from Ciudad Airport took off on December 18, 2008. However, the initial passenger numbers failed to meet expectations, according to local news outlet Madrid es Noticia. The airport had difficulty attracting airlines and passengers, serving just 190,000 passengers during its short time in operation, far below its expected capacity.  

By 2010, the airport was almost deserted, with only two flights a day and very few passengers. On October 29, 2011, low-cost Spanish airline Vueling ceased operations at the airport, citing low profits.  

Around the same time, local media reported that a group of drug traffickers had attempted to rent or buy the airport’s cargo terminal in order to smuggle cocaine from South America and Africa, with a plan to transport up to 10 tons of cocaine every month. 

After the withdrawal of Vueling, Ciudad Airport operated only private and charter flights until its closure on April 13, 2012. In less than four years, the once-promising airport became one of Spain’s ‘ghost airports’. 

After its closure, the site was used for filming movies and TV shows. Later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it served as a storage and maintenance center for grounded aircraft. 

Although the airport never operated regular passenger flights, it was eventually adapted for aviation logistics, aircraft parking and maintenance but failed to become the international hub it was originally intended to be. 

3. Plymouth City Airport (PLH), United Kingdom 

Plymouth City Airport used to be a vital connection for Devon, located just a few miles north of the city center in Derriford, UK. The airport offered regular flights to locations in the UK, Ireland, and the Channel Islands.  

Plymouth Airport was fully owned by Sutton Harbour Holdings, which also owned the now-defunct regional airline, Air Southwest, which previously operated from there. 

In 2009, 157,933 passengers visited the airport, which marked an increase of 34% compared to 117,823 passengers the previous year. This growth made Plymouth one of the few airports in the UK to experience such an increase during the economic downturn around 2008-2009. 

However, that same year, the airport shut down its shorter runway (06/24) due to financial losses, which led to a decrease in capacity. By February 2011, Air Southwest said it would cease flying from Plymouth to London-Gatwick (LGW). No other airline elected to take over the route, leading to the airport’s closure in December 2011. 

Since that time, the airport has been abandoned, with the aviation structure still standing. Although there have been attempts to bring it back to life, such as plans for commercial flights and general aviation growth, Plymouth Airport remains shut, facing an uncertain future.  

The UK’s Department for Transport conducted a study regarding the possibility of reopening Plymouth Airport for commercial passenger services, which was considered in 2016.  

The department concluded that the airport did not present a viable option for the reopening “without a number of commercial risks to any future operator of the airport and any commercial passenger airlines serving the airport”. 

4. Montréal Mirabel International Airport (YMX), Canada  

Montréal Mirabel Airport, initially designed to be the largest in the world, opened on October 4, 1975, to much excitement and optimism. It was intended to replace Dorval Airport, officially known as Montréal-Dorval International Airport (YUL), which was the main airport serving Montreal, Canada, at that time. 

However, the ambitious vision for the airport quickly fell apart. The airport’s distance from downtown Montréal and the lack of a promised high-speed rail line made travel inconvenient, disappointing visitors during the 1976 Olympic Games, hosted by Montréal. 

Additionally, domestic flights remained at Dorval, forcing passengers to take lengthy bus rides across the city for connections. This logistical issue led to a collapse of its popularity, allowing cities like Toronto and Ottawa to attract more air traffic at Mirabel’s expense.  

The rise of longer-range jets further reduced Mirabel’s significance, with many intercontinental flights bypassing it entirely. By 1997, Dorval Airport, now called Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, resumed international flights, further contributing to Mirabel’s decline. 

The passenger terminal of the airport fell into disuse and later became a filming location for the Tom Hanks movie ‘The Terminal’. Mirabel continued to function for cargo and other aviation purposes, while plans to convert it into a theme park were abandoned. The terminal was demolished in 2014.  

Montréal–Mirabel International Airport ended passenger operations on October 31, 2004, nearly 29 years after it opened. However, it is still in use today, functioning as a cargo hub and aerospace center, serving as the headquarters of Bombardier Aviation and housing facilities for companies like Airbus and Pratt & Whitney. 

5. Ellinikon International Airport (ATH), Greece 

Ellinikon International Airport (ATH) served as the primary airport in Greece for 63 years, accommodating approximately 20 million passengers annually and acting as the main gateway to the Greek capital of Athens and surrounding areas.  

However, Eleftherios Venizelos Airport (ATH), built for the 2004 Olympic Games in Spata, promptly overshadowed Ellinikon Airport when it opened in 2001. The new airport’s advanced facilities meant that Ellinikon Airport was no longer necessary, and it was eventually closed. 

The airport’s closure was influenced not just by the new facility, but also by challenges such as noise and security concerns. As a result, Ellinikon has come to symbolize Greece’s economic struggles and has turned into one of the largest abandoned sites in Europe, according to guided tour operator Insight Vacations. 

While the airport was inactive, Ellinikon saw a short revival during the 2004 Summer Olympics, when some areas of the airport hosted events like softball, hockey, and fencing. Unfortunately, after the Olympics, the site fell into greater disrepair, with much of its infrastructure suffering damage. 

The final flight from the airport took place in 2001, when an Olympic Airways Boeing 737 flew to Thessaloniki. The airport has now been closed for 25 years. 

Reportedly the deserted hallways are now cluttered with exposed wires, damaged ceilings, broken lights, shattered doors, sofas, and debris. However, the airport facilities are not being left to decay.  

Instead, the abandoned Ellinikon Airport is being transformed into a smart coastal city, which Ellinikon has referred to as the “largest urban regeneration project in Europe,” with a total investment of €8.5 billion. Lamda Development, a Greek real estate developer, has revealed that the first phase of this initiative is set to finish by early 2026 and will include a public park, spanning two million square meters. 

“Ellinikon is the first area in Greece to be developed from the outset as a smart city and it was designed to be environmentally sustainable and resistant to climate change,” said Odisseas Athanasiou, CEO of Lamda Development. 

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