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Author Archives: Jorge Masot

EasyJet finalising a plan to open routes in Spain in 2015 Standard

Easyjet takeoff in Madrid airport / Javier Pedreira

The Spanish airports are increasing passengers in AprilAena published data for the April operations and confirmed the good trend so far in 2014. Only in April, the Spanish airports gained passengers by 9.3% with regard to April 2013. Comparing figures between January and April, the Spanish airports increased passengers by 4.1% so far this year.It is worth noting that Madrid increased passengers by 7.5% in April, experiencing an aggregate growth of 2.5%; Barcelona keeps the good numbers increasing by 10.8% in April (7.5% between January and April); Málaga met the expectations we had anticipated and grew by 14.4% in April (accumulating 9.5%); Alicante is…

New satellite navigation system available for landings at the Spanish airports Standard

Málaga ATC tower during the works

Last week Aena announced a new satellite navigation system is available for landings at the Spanish airports through a press release which translation follows: The GBAS system is already available at one Spanish airport Aena is worldwide leader in starting new technologies and introduces operations based on satellite navigation 05 May 2014 As from today, Aena offer the possibility of landing at a Spanish airport using a modern satellite navigation system which suppose a significant step with regard to safety, cost savings and effectiveness for the air transport users. This is the satellite navigation system named GBAS (Ground Based Augmentation…

Murcia-Corvera to start operations this year Standard

Jetair at Murcia-San Javier airport / Joaquin Vanschoren

The story of Murcia-Corvera airport looks like the never ending story but at last someone mentioned dates for the airport to start operations. We had learned that Sacyr and the Government of Murcia had resumed talks in December for Aeromur – owned by Sacyr – to get the airport’s concession. Five months later, there has been no news about this. In the meantime, Ramón Luis Valcárcel, president of the Autonomous Region for the last 19 years, in charge of such conversations, resigned to go to the European elections in the list of his political party (Partido Popular).The day before yesterday, VozPopuli informed that Alberto Garre – new…

Barcelona to start collecting the new green tax in July Standard

Barcelona expected to start collecting the new green tax in July

Green tax: Following with the new green tax in Barcelona airport for the commercial flights that we had anticipated, please see below further detail: The law is expected to come into force in July 2014. Therefore, the green tax will have to be paid from then onwards. Taxpayers are airlines or flight operators departing from Barcelona airport. Special flights such as emergency landings or humanitarian flights are exempted from this green tax. Position flights are not considered as commercial flights and hence are exempted too. This green tax is to be paid as from the 1st of January of the year after…

The Minister confirms they are freezing charges in 2015 Standard

New Barcelona airport terminal

We informed yesterday that Aena would soften their charge increases or even freeze them despite the agreement reached in 2013. Today, the Spanish Minister of Development has announced the charges will be definitely frozen in 2015.Thus, Aena published this morning a press release which we have translated as follows: Pastor announces the airport charges will be frozen for 2015 and extends the incentives   Proposes a cero increase instead of the expected 4.5% The savings achieved thanks to the cost reduction plan in the last two years, together with the traffic increase make this possible Aena forgoes income by 151 million Euros…

Ryanair is planning to grow in Madrid, to shrink in Barcelona Standard

Strait of Gibraltar view from a Ryanair’s plane / flickr.com

Last month we informed that Vueling was about to catch Ryanair as the largest operator in Spain. Now, latest data collected from Aena confirm that, with the month of March over, Vueling has become the first operator in the Spanish airports as a matter of fact. Between January and March they have served 4.60 million passengers, ahead of Ryanair which transported 4,57 million people within the same period. However, aiming to keep their position, they announced some changes with regard to their operations in Spain:First of all, according to ABC.es Ryanair will connect Madrid with six new destinations, i.e. Bremen,Catania, Cologne, Eindhoven, Fes and Warsow, all to start in…

The Canary Islands increase offer to the UK and Germany respectively by over 34% Standard

Photo: Condor aircraft landing at Lanzarote airport

One more season starts and, as usual, we have updated our data base with fresh details, both for the just finished season – winter 2013 – and for the new season which now starts – summer 2014 – for you to be able to use our Airport Statistics web tool. We have also spent some time using this tool and, going through the Canary Islands in particular, reached some conclusions which may be of your interest: The Canary Islands increase offer to their main destinations. Lanzarote The number of seats offered by the airlines from Lanzarote airport increased by 22% in…

The current Air Nostrum CEO to become the owner Standard

Air Nostrum CRJ-200ER at Lanzarote airport

Air Nostrum hired the services from Seabury to analyse and sell the airline. Today, Levante-emv.com informs that the current Air Nostrum CEO, Carlos Bertomeu, has decided to make a strong commitment to the airline by putting his own money. For this purpose, he has the support from his partners of the Valencian Infertility Institute to invest in such a difficult and changing industry.“Creativity, determination, long-term thinking, humility and ability to correct mistakes are, in my view, the values to start a business from the scratch” Bertomeu said during a cabin crew course closure. Values which he will have to apply in his new…

Aena becomes profitable Standard

Aena’s logo at Madrid Airport / David

Aena becomes profitable: The Aena Group published a press release confirming they had become profitable with benifits by 715 million Euros in 2013. According to elEconomista.es this has been possible thanks to cuts in costs and increases in fees.Thus, the EBITDA – gross operating profit – reached 1,610 million Euros, 32.5% over those 1,215 million of 2012.Most of these net benefits come from Aena Aeropuertos which, for the first time, managed to be profitable and finished 2013 with a net income of 597 million Euros. In 2012 they had a loss by 75.7 million Euros.The Government is trying to privatise Aena Aeropuertos since June 2011 when the…

10 bids have been placed for the Handling licenses in 22 Spanish airports Standard

A380 receiving ground handling services at Frankfurtt

On March, 20 Aena launched a press release informing on the bids that had been placed for the ramp handling licenses to be tendered in the Spanish airports as per the Terms and Conditions that had been anticipated.This is our translation into English:20 March 2014 10 bids have been placed for the public tender called by Aena to award the licenses for 22 airports of the net. In particular, these bids are referred to the first phase of the tender on ground handling to third parties for 22 airports which serve less than one million passengers a year and have an only handling agent….