The ‘Marketing Plan for the Murcia-San Javier Airport’ was the document presented last Wednesday by the Aena directors to <<maximize the connectivity>> of the installations. The document doesn’t mention the agreement to close down commercial activity to give way to the Corvera airfield. According to the document accessed by La Verdad, the members of the Airport Committee studied the strategies to re-launch the airport. The meeting of the Airport Committee, which takes place once or twice a year, took place at the San Javier Airport. Meanwhile, the Corvera Airport, whose management in the end will be up for tender, is still blocked. It is very probable that Aena will get the license for the new airport also.
This meeting happened in a very opportune moment for two reasons. The first is that the competitor- Corvera, which would no longer be competition if Aena received the license-, is now out of the game. The second is because of the sharp decline in passenger traffic that San Javier suffers; its occupation dropped 38% in December. The directors of Aena attribute the loss to the choices that the airlines make, but at the same time recognize that in 2013 they only held meetings with two airlines. Nevertheless, that number rose to eight in 2014, when the amount of traffic plummeted while it rose in Alicante.
Main measures for the maximization of San Javier
The strategies to maximize the potential of San Javier would highlight its competitive advantages, pointing out that it has an area of influence of 4.3 million inhabitants in a radius of 120 minutes which includes Alicante. The plan proposes reducing fees and reducing the excessive dependence on tourism from the UK, which makes up 84% of its current traffic. To do so they propose expanding German, Russian and Nordic country markets. On the other hand, the document reflects the need to exploit national traffic, which is very low (3.3%) and suggests the development of new national routes such as Barcelona, Asturias, Galicia and Gran Canaria. It also advises changing the flight to Madrid to the first hour to have more connections in Barajas and proposes increasing publicity for the airport with commercial screens, news and discounts.
Photo: Jetair at Murcia-San Javier airport / Joaquin Vanschoren
