Los Estancos

28°31'19"N 013°53'44"W

Runway: 03/21 - ....meters/....feet - gravel/dirt
Runway: 12/30 - ....meters/....feet - gravel/dirt

Air field Los Estancos was an airfield on the island of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain.
Construction of the airfield authorised in 1950 in order to replace the original joint military-civilain airfield at Tefía. Although some aircraft used the new airfield as early as 1951 due to high winds at Tafía, it did not formally open until 1952. The new airport experienced continued growth under the direction of Luis López del Amo (1951-1967) and Nemesio Suarez Mendoza (1967-1969). During the early years new hangars, a terminal bulding, a control tower and other structures were built. In 1954 it was one of few buildings on the island to have both running water and electricity. The airfield helped the village of Los Estancos to grow into a town on what were initially only barren fields.


Iberia DC-3 at Los Estancos in 1952 (museodigitaldepuertodecabras.blogspot.com).

The 03/21 runway crossed a road, which neccitaded the permanent presence of a soldier to open and close a barrier whenever an aircraft, such as Iberias legendary DC-3, was to take off or land. Communication of this soldier with the tower was by whistle or flag. When traffic on the island increased and a motorist had a narrow escape with a passing aircraft, control over the barrier was transferred to airport staff with a car. A second runway was opened in 1955, heading 12/30 to take advantage of crosswinds that in the past had prevented numerous landings.
Fom 1960 poor maintenance of the runways became increasingly appearant. Pilots frequently complained about the state of the airfield and repairs did take place, but the runways were never paved. It soon became clear that to allow all types of aircraft in order to attract tourism (which began to bloom around this time) it would be necessary to expand. In 1966 the airfield was at maximum capacity with a record 12 aircraft a day. According to a 1965 study Los Estancos was clearly no longer meeting the requirements of Fuerteventura.
In 1966 work began on a new airport and on 15 Sep 1969 the new international airfield El Matorral was opened, with Los Estancos closing the same day. Yet in 1971 it was reopened one more time due to refurbishment at El Matorral.


The 'Aeropuerto Fuerteventura' terminal building in 1966 (museodigitaldepuertodecabras.blogspot.com).


Aerial photo, dated September 1968, showing the general layout of the airfield. If you zoom in a Fokker F-27 is visible on the platform (visor.grafcan.es)


Los Estancos airfield derelict in 2006 (Oscar Benito Fraile, via Wikipedia).

After its final closure the airfield was left abandoned. The old tower building is now indifferent to the cars that cross the old 03/21. The lands occupied by the former airfield are owned in part by Puerto del Rosario and a larger part by the Cabildo Insular, along with some individuals that were expelled during the construction of the airfield. Since 1959 the ownership issue had not been settled.
After its closure the airfield fell victim to vandalism, pollution and illegal immigrants. Part of the airfield now serves as a reacetrack. The station building, which had been in disrepair for ages, was externally restored to its former glory by the summer of 2007. It is not clear what will happen to the building though: a museum, restaurant and other options are still open to debate.


Los Estancos terminal building (Fuerteventura airport 1951-1969) in Feb 2011 (Javier Ortega Figueiral, via Flickr.com, click on the image to go there).