A Rare Full Shutdown
Almeria Airport will close its doors entirely for six days during the latter half of February 2028, marking an unusual full shutdown for runway maintenance. According to Aena, the Spanish airport operator, no flights will operate during this window. Every scheduled service will be cancelled, rescheduled, or sent to alternate airports.
The closure represents the first time the runway has undergone major work in 20 years. For an airport that handles thousands of British travellers annually alongside busy domestic traffic, the shutdown will ripple across multiple carriers and routes. Ryanair, easyJet, and Iberia have all been notified, though exact closure dates remain unconfirmed.
What Travellers Should Know
Direct flights from seven UK airports currently serve Almeria: London Gatwick, London Southend, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, and Birmingham. Domestic routes connect the airport to Barcelona, Seville, and Madrid. All of these will face interruption during the closure period.
Passengers booked during those six days will likely see their flights moved to Granada-Jaén Airport, roughly 77 miles away, or Malaga Airport, 114 miles distant. Both are viable alternatives, though the added distance will stretch transfer times for anyone heading to Almeria city or the surrounding coast.
The airport sits about 15 minutes by car from Almeria's centre and close to the A7 coastal motorway, which threads through popular destinations like Alicante and Benidorm. That accessibility has made it a convenient entry point for travellers exploring Andalusia's eastern coast, a region less crowded than the well-trodden Costa del Sol.
Part of a Bigger Picture
The six-day closure is the centrepiece of a much larger €29 million project, according to Aena. The full renovation will stretch over 19 months, beginning in 2027, and will touch the entire airport infrastructure. While the runway work requires a total shutdown, other phases will take place overnight, between 10:45 PM and 7:10 AM, to minimise daytime disruption.
Even so, late-evening departures and early-morning arrivals may face delays or schedule adjustments throughout the project. For airlines operating thin margins on short-haul routes, these overnight windows will test operational flexibility.
The scale of investment reflects both the airport's age and its growing role in southern Spain's tourism network. Almeria has long sat in the shadow of Malaga, but its proximity to less-developed coastline and the Cabo de Gata natural park has drawn a steady stream of visitors seeking quieter alternatives to the crowded resorts further west.
A Wider Trend
Almeria is not alone in planning extended closures for infrastructure work. Belgium's Charleroi Airport announced it will shut for nearly three months in 2028, from mid-August through the end of October. That closure will overlap with the busy summer holiday period and October half-term, affecting Ryanair and Wizz Air routes to Edinburgh, Manchester, and Newcastle.
Both closures point to a broader challenge facing European aviation: ageing infrastructure built during the budget-airline boom now requires major upgrades, and the work cannot always be done in small increments. Full shutdowns, though disruptive, compress the timeline and often prove more cost-effective than years of piecemeal repairs.
For travellers, the lesson is straightforward. If you are booking for early 2028 and Almeria is on your itinerary, check the latest updates from your airline as the closure dates are finalised. Flexibility will matter, especially if your trip hinges on that specific airport or you have tight onward connections from the Spanish coast.
