Barcelona Airport new flights

In 2015, a total of 3.5 million passengers made intercontinental scale

Barcelona Airport new flights

There is a demand to open new long-haul flights from Barcelona. The Development Committee of Air Routes (CDRA) of the Catalan capital is convinced of it. This body, composed of Aena, the Generalitat, Barcelona City Council and the Chamber of Commerce, which supports data. Of the 5.6 million intercontinental travelers or from El Prat last year, only two million flew directly. The remaining 3.6 million correspond to connecting routes with other airports. Thus, the objective for the coming years is to convert some of these direct links, mainly to North America and Asia-Pacific operations being treated with airlines.

Countries identified as targets in the strategic plan 2016-2017 of the CDRA are those who already have a critical mass that justifies having direct flights. Tokyo tops, which last year had 164,385 passengers to or from the Catalan capital, all indirect. In Seoul, only 12,447 traveled nonstop by 139,188 they did with connection. There are nine other airports intercontinental destinations with more than 50,000 annual passengers flying via other citieslong.

President CDRA and secretary of Infrastructures and Mobility of the Generalitat, Ricard Font, moved that the main efforts focus on opening direct flights to California (San Francisco or Los Angeles), Boston and Tokyo, although he acknowledged it will not be easy because although there is demand to justify the operation from the commercial point of view, airlines may not have enough planes to meet these routes.

In any case, the CDRA has been proposed that within two years Barcelona enter the group of the 42 major global airports with more than 10,000 passengers daily intercontinental routes (direct and indirect flights). El Prat current-mind has about 8,000. A tool that can help position the Catalan capital in this market long haul is that Barcelona will host in September next year, the World Routes Forum, an event that has the participation of airlines around the world year . also it wants to grow in cargo freight, transport interests the great Eastern customers. Synergies with cruises and intermodality with train are other aspects that are to continue strengthening.

Those responsible for the CDRA did yesterday balance of the first ten years of the agency, which was created to capture new intercontinental routes. At that time, this radio traffic El Prat has doubled from 2.2 million to 5.6 million travelers and 17 to 34 destinations, with some as prominent as Dubai, Banjul, Singapore and Bogota. Passengers on direct flights have increased sixfold, from 345 thousand to 2 million, the weekly frequencies have tripled (from 72 to 234) and seats offered, quintupled (from 324,000 to 1,600,000 per year).

The airport director, Sonia Corrochano, recalled that last year the absolute record of passengers (39.7 million), up 5% from 2014 and further growth of long-haul (+ 12%) fought. In the first quarter of 2016, the trend continues to rise (+ 16% in total passengers and + 17% on intercontinental routes).

The main novelties for this summer season are increased frequencies Montreal and Toronto (Air Canada and Air Transcat), New York (Delta) and a new Washington (United). Also they grow Tel Aviv (Al) and increases the ability to Dubai (Emirates). TAM increases frequencies to Sao Paulo and opens Ryanair flight to Marrakech. In addition, Vueling, opens route to Constantine (Algeria) and Cape Verde and increases frequencies to Algiers, Oran, Tangier and Tel Aviv.