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.

 

Airport records

The El Prat airport sector maintained the upward trend thanks to the tourist positioning of Barcelona and the promotion of low cost airlines. And it has not peaked yet

Terminal 1 El Prat airport Barcelona

El Prat touch the sky. It will record on record. The Barcelona airport has six years winning passengers. A success story that does not seem to end. As recently said Kenny Jacobs, director of marketing for Ryanair, “it seems that everyone wants to come to Barcelona”.

How is possible? Xavier Fageda has worked in recent years side by side with the academic Germà Bel in airport issues. “The growth of El Prat in recent years has several explanations. The main capacity was expanded with the new runway in 2004 and the new terminal in 2009. The other key factor is the expansion of tourism in Barcelona and this has led to low cost to take positions. Also important has been the good management of the leading company in El Prat Vueling “.

Sonia Corrochano, director of the airport of El Prat de Barcelona highlights some oddities. “The city is among the four preferred destinations in Europe in social networks. Additionally statistics show that many people who come here for tourism repeated. And eight out of ten cruise passengers arriving by plane to embark on one of the cruises from the city. And this is a growing sector. ”

Spain as a whole is experiencing a sweet period from the tourist point of view because passenger traffic growing more than 25 months. The rise in international passenger traffic is driving, especially following the collapse of competitive markets such as Tunisia and Egypt. But it has also diversified its proposal.

According to the hotel association CEHAT, the supply of sun and sand has risen from more than 90% of Spanish tourism at 72%. “Few European countries have an airport network as extensive quality and quality as in Spain that connects so many different cities,” said Albert Grau and Bruno Hallé are responsible for tourism consultant Magma

Barcelona takes advantage of this situation because it offers everything at once: vacation tourism destination and insurance business and convention town. The current improvement in the economy is the icing on the cake. From Magma stress that, for example, “people company values the urban tourism and leisure. In a context of economic recovery, this group of travelers, less seasonality, it becomes crucial. ” These experts also stand out as the launch of El Prat “it is the reflection of a successful tourism promotion policy on the part of local institutions in recent years.”

“The surveys we conduct among our customers indicate that Barcelona is one of the (if not the) favorite destinations. Therefore, next year will transport more than 6.3 million people in El Prat, 500,000 more than last year, “José Espartero, director of marketing for Ryanair Spain, the company that transports passengers in Spanish skies. “Historically, the city has recorded more incoming flights, but we are seeing that departing flights are growing very significantly. Next summer we will increase our network of routes from Barcelona, with 3 new destinations to Berlin, Hamburg and Marrakech, “said Espartero.

In 2012 EasyJet had a base in Barajas. Now they have just installed in Barcelona. “Twenty years ago El Prat airport was the first in which we operate outside the UK for what is happening is not surprising at all,” recalls Javier Gandara, CEO of EasyJet to Spain and Portugal. “Behind the success of El Prat she is the fact that it is a destination in itself. And the low cost airlines, which previously flew from secondary airports, which have assumed and positioned themselves here, “Gandara said. There is a temporary factor that also plays into the Barcelona airport right now says this executive of EasyJet. “With the drop in oil prices, many low cost to them would not come before the accounts have decided to operate again. And this means that there is more supply, more competition and therefore more traffic. ”

Given these figures, Aena rubs his hands. Because the Barcelona airport, living an uptrend, is very profitable. In 2014 El Prat won twelve times Barajas and represents more than half of the benefits of airport management. “The reform of the commercial offer of the T2 and increased traffic generated higher revenues,” said airport sources.

The growth of the Barcelona terminal those years has gone hand in hand with Vueling. Fernando Estrada, Director of Strategy and Alliances of this airline believes “this pace is sustained, steady and it has nothing to bubble. Their bases are solid. Now after years we have created a hub in Barcelona, with passengers throughout the year and put the city in place in the airport market. The proof is that now more and more long-haul airlines have decided to come here. ”

Indeed, one of the common criticisms is that Barcelona has yet to lead in the long haul. But this aspect is also changing. Since 2006 the number of intercontinental routes has doubled. This week Emirates, announced that it will operate two daily flights between Barcelona and Dubai with the A380, the world’s largest aircraft. This introduction involves increasing the capacity by 32% over the current long-haul offer this airline.

“This reflects our confidence and commitment to the market in Barcelona,” explains Fernando Suarez de Gongora, CEO of Emirates. “We see potential both for those traveling to Barcelona from Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East as well as for travel to these regions, whether for business or tourist purposes”. Xavier Fageda states that “in relation to long-haul flights, the improvement on the growing presence of Asian and American airlines in the European market also tend to be positioned outside the major European hubs that are highly saturated, for example in Barcelona”.

Does El Prat ability to make this leap ?. Technically, yes. Corrochano recalls that current facilities can manage to reach 55 million passengers, ie 35% more than the current traffic. “You may add a level comparable to other T2 volume,” he says. You can also increase to 25% the number of operations per hour. The skies are clear.

 

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