Ciudad Real Central Airport, also known as Ciudad Real International Airport, was a privately funded regional airport located in the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain. It was designed to serve as an alternative to Madrid Barajas, capitalizing on its proximity to the high-speed rail corridor and the city of Ciudad Real. The airport opened in 2008 but struggled severely with low passenger demand and financial difficulties, leading to its closure in 2012 when the operating company went bankrupt. It became widely known as a symbol of Spain's overinvestment in infrastructure during the pre-crisis economic boom. The airport was subsequently put up for sale and attracted occasional interest from investors, but remained largely inactive and became a notable example of a so-called 'ghost airport.' In 2015, it was auctioned off at a fraction of its construction cost.