Castellón car tests strip airport of “credibility”

The regional premier of Valencia, Alberto Fabra, said Thursday that car testing by Mercedes' HWA team at the Castellón airport is not aiding the "credibility" of the controversial project. Although Fabra conceded that other airports regularly host motor racing teams, he said it "makes no sense" to allow them at Castellón, which is still not in operation two years after its inauguration.

The company responsible for the plane-free airport, Aerocas, is 99-percent owned by the regional government and headed by Carlos Fabra, the scandal-tainted former provincial chief of Castellón. Aerocas charged HWA 1,000 euros a day to use the installation. The regional Socialists called for Fabra to step down but his namesake said he would continue in the unpaid position, citing his "courage" in driving a "fundamental" project for tourism in Valencia.