The new shuttle bus which links the regions of Terres de l'Ebre (Tarragona) to Barcelona Airport without going through the Catalan capital recorded a total of 3,239 passengers this summer, as reported by the Ministry of Planning and Sustainability Wednesday in a press release.

This service, operated by Hife, became operational on July 1 and ended on August 31, with eight daily outward trips and eight return trips from the regions of Baix Ebre and Montsiā, and three outward and return trips from the regions of Terra Alta and Ribera d'Ebre.

The bus served populations on the line of Alcanar, Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Amposta, L'Aldea, Tortosa, Batea, Gandesa, Corbera d'Ebre, Móra d'Ebre, Tivissa, Vandellòs and L'Hospitalet de l'Infant.

Company sources have pointed out that in the case of Malaga Airport, the number of seats offered has increased by 24%, from 511,020 (Winter 2013) to 631,440 (winter 2014). In this case, the 2014-2015 winter season will have annual routes, operating the whole year round of: Lanzarote, which was formerly seasonal; Amsterdam; Barcelona; Bilbao; Brussels; Copenhagen; Cardiff; Moscow; Rome-Fiumicino; Hamburg; Las Palmas; Munich; Paris-Orly; Oviedo, which also used to be seasonal; Palma de Mallorca (formerly seasonal); Santiago de Compostela; and Tenerife.

For Christmas flights to Lyon – which have operated in the summer of 2014 and the winter of 2013; Nantes, which also operated in winter 2013; and Zurich, which has operated in summer 2014 and winter 2013, have been made operational.

As for Seville Airport, sales of seats on routes connecting Seville Airport to various destinations have increased by 21 percent compared with the winter of 2013, to 678,960 seats. It was said that, in this case, among other destinations, the airports of Rome Fiumicino, Palma de Mallorca and Valencia will also operate during the winter months.

Similarly, according to sources, routes operating in summer, seasonal, will cease operations in October, when the winter season begins. These seasonal summer routes that will stop running in winter – between October and April – are Amsterdam, Ibiza, Lyon, Menorca, Malta, Nantes and Oviedo.

However, in the case of Lyon, Nantes and Oviedo, they will again operate at Christmas, like Lanzarote.

Sources indicated that the routes from Seville airport that are annual or core and that are maintained in winter and summer are those that connect the San Pablo Airport with Barcelona, ​​Bilbao, Rome-Fiumicino, La Coruna, Las Palmas, Paris, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife and Valencia. These sources said that the Rome, Palma de Mallorca and Valencia routes were seasonal summer destinations but have been added to the portfolio of annual flights.

Likewise, between Seville and Munich flights will operate on 25 October and 1 November due to the holiday festivities in the German city.

The sources explained that the Sevilla-Oviedo route was scheduled to operate during the summer and then to be extended for the winter "but it was a route that had not fulfilled expectations, so it was decided to interrupt it, although it will be resumed at Christmas and it will be seen whether in the first quarter of 2015 it will continue or not". However, they pointed out that "this route at Easter will certainly start operating again and will run into the summer."

Source: expansion.com; 2014-09-06

Posted by flytobarcelona.org

Barcelona Air Route Development Committee
promotes Barcelona Airport intercontinental flights

The global air cargo traffic recorded an increase of 5.8% in July compared to the same month last year, with a 2.9% rise in supply and a load factor of 44.4%.

As explained by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in a press release, the increase reflects improved demand conditions in various regions, after the slowdown in recent months, surpassing the highs reached in mid-2010.

In July, the transport of goods increased by 6.4% in the international market and a 1.9% in the domestic market relative to 2013, with an increase in supply of 3.9% compared to a fall of 0.2% on domestic routes.

"Overall, in July there was an acceleration of growth. This is good news and reflects the continued strengthening of business confidence worldwide," said the agency CEO, Tony Tyler, although he warned that this segment "moves at two speeds, with a sharp divide in regional performance."

Through July, the growth of this segment reached 4.4%, with a 3.5% greater capacity, making the load factor 45.2%. The figures for this month, however, showed a slowdown in the pace of growth recorded in the month of May, when freight traffic rose 4.9%.

The Port of Barcelona will host 57,770 cruise passengers between Friday 12th and Sunday 14th September, making it the most intense weekend in 2014, coinciding with the arrival of the Oasis of the Seas, belonging to Royal Caribbean.

To be specific, Oasis of the Seas will arrive at the Catalan capital on Saturday 13 September, where it will be have its home port and where it will set sail on three occasions.

Along with the Allure of the Seas, also belonging to Royal Caribbean, it is the largest boat in the world, with a capacity for 6,318 passengers in total, a length of 362 meters, an elevation of 65 meters above sea level and gross register tonnage of 225,282.

In the first half of the year, the volume of cruise passengers arriving at the Port was reduced by 9% to 946,331 passengers, due to the reduction of stoppovers, which stand at approximately 800.

The cruiselines decide the port enclaves they are going to stop at two years in advance; therefore this year is affected by the negative environment of 2012 in the whole Mediterranean.

ALLURE OF THE SEAS

However, from the Port of Barcelona, the number of cruise passengers is extected to rise in 2015, owing to the arrival of the Allure of the Seas, and in 2016 there is expected to be an upturn, thus approaching the figures of last year, when around 2.6 million cruise passengers were received.

Precisely in May 2015 will be when the Allure of the Seas will dock at Barcelona, ​​and attract 158,000 'turnaround' passengers - beginning and ending their trip in the city - who will spend 17.5 million in the Catalan capital.

Thus, Barcelona is consolidated as the leading cruise port in Europe and the Mediterranean, while ranking fourth in the world, only preceded by the three major ports in the State of Florida.

Source: europapress.es; 2014-09-08

Posted by flytobarcelona.org

Barcelona Air Route Development Committee
promotes Barcelona Airport intercontinental flights

It has been hard, but in the end it seems that it is going to take place. After the missed opportunity last year, the Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, and several of his ministers are scheduled to travel later this month to China, as reported by diplomatic sources and found in El Periódico.com. Should ​​Mariano Rajoy's visit finally be made it would become the first time he has stepped on Chinese soil after three years at the head of the Spanish parliament.

Rajoy in China

Everything indicates that the repeal of the basic principles of universal justice has been one of the triggers that have helped Mariano Rajoy finally be able to visit his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Let us remember that the Asian regime applauded this measure of the Executive of the PP to bury the basic principles of universal justice and to urge the Spanish courts to conclude an investigation against Chinese officials for the Tibet case.

Although there is no definite clear agenda for the President, or at least it is not known, Rajoy is expected to  go to Beijing in search of trade agreements and China's commitment to help drive the Spanish economy, as well as with the intention of selling brand Spain, as has been done in other countries.

Source: globalasia.com; 2014-09-08

Posted by flytobarcelona.org

Barcelona Air Route Development Committee

promotes Barcelona Airport
intercontinental flights

The Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its reopening after the fire of 1999, with a series of activities to thank all the citizens, neighborhood and society, the highlight of which are the opera gala and the Liceu's way of bringing opera to the people of Catalonia with its 'Opera al fresco' program.

At a press conference after a gala dinner in the theater, the general manager, Roger Guasch, explained that the coliseum will celebrate this anniversary with the maxims of "austerity and simplicity in the events and the aim of opening its doors and taking opera to the citizens".

"We need to restore optimism and look to the future," said Guasch, who has urged people to recapture the spirit of 1994 - when it caught fire and all the citizens worked together - although the situation is not the same; since the Liceu belongs to everyone and everyone is the Liceu, he remarked.

The theater reopened on October 7, 1999 with Turandot, Giacomo Pucccini directed by Nuria Espert, the "desire to make the Liceu for all" said Guasch, who could not pass up the opportunity to send a message of optimism an future towards society and also internally to show that the project is going ahead.

The Deputy Foreign Minister, Li Baodong, said at the forum of the Federation of World Tourist Cities (WTCF) being held in Beijing,  that in 2013 the trips of Chinese citizens abroad (including Hong Kong and Macau) reached 98.19 million, up 18% from the previous year.

As for the spending by these tourists in 2013, Li Badong announced a new record: Chinese tourists spent approximately 98,000 million euros abroad,  an increase of 26.8% compared to 2012. As regards shopping, luxury goods continue to be a special attraction for Chinese tourists, and, according to the organization,  in Europe they bought 23% of these goods, and in the United States, 10% over the same period.

We will expedite the process for obtaining visas, so that these temporary permits will last longer and be easier to get; and we will improve connectivity with China, with shorter, direct flights,  so that it will not require so much time to get to our country, "said the Deputy Prime Minister as reported by EFE.

Another os the obstacles that must be solved from the Chinese government is the translation into English on the Internet of the China official tourist information websites as well as the serious pollution problem that affects a large number of Chinese cities and which has already affected tourism, as in the case of Beijing.

The low cost Irish airline Ryanair will open a new route from Barcelona to Cologne and will increase frequencies to nine other destinations, which will enable it to transport a total of 5.1 million customers annually and maintain 5,100 jobs at  El Prat airport, as announced yesterday.

The Irish airline's schedule for next summer includes a new route to Cologne, a total of 39 routes in Barcelona, ​​more flights and better times on nine other routes, 364 weekly flights (up 7%), 300,000 new customers (a total of 5.1 million customers per year) and 5,100 jobs per year at the airport.

Ryanair will continue to connect Barcelona with the major business centres in Europe, including Brussels (four daily frequencies), Cologne (one daily service), Dublin (two per day), London (four daily flights), Milan (three per day), Paris (three daily services) and Rome (five daily frequencies), offering business travelers the longest list of destinations with the lowest rates, more flights, better schedules and the best service, following the launch of the specific business product, Business Plus.

Kenny Jacobs, Chief Marketing Officer of Ryanair, said: "We are delighted to be the first airline in Spain to launch their 2015 summer schedule, which includes a new route to Cologne, in addition to increasing frequencies to nine other destinations. This will enable us to offer a total of 39 fantastic summer routes and to transport 5.1 million passengers a year in Barcelona.

The second edition of this report is based on the annual average as an indicator of port efficiency.

The publisher, JOC Group, has announced the results of the report on Berth Productivity. These results, as noted in the statement on the website of ANAVE (Spanish Shipowners Association), are only interesting in comparative terms. They emphasize the data of Spanish ports such as Algeciras - with 76 movements/hour in 2013 - and Barcelona - with 71m/h - representing a respective improvement of 43% and 70% percent. This was a larger increase than in the main European port as regards container traffic, Rotterdam,  with an increase of only 38% to reach 86 m/h.

However, the Asian terminals take the lead with respect to spectacular figures for TEU traffic. China has eight ports that exceed 104 m/h; the greatest recorded number of movements occurred in the AP Moller Terminal Yokohama (Japan) with 163 m/h.

Behind these results, there are determining factors such as the average size of the vessels handled by each terminal and the number of cranes per vessel and their dimensions.

From January to August 1.2 million flights were operated in the 46 airports and two heliports making up the network, up 2.5%.

In August, the airports in the network increased their passengers for the tenth consecutive month to 22.9 million passengers, 6.2% more than in the same period of 2013, in a month when 192,238 flights were operated, up 3.4%. In the figures related to travelers, 16.7 million passengers were international; that is, 6.5% more.

At the head, Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport experienced 27.5 million passengers in the first eight months of the year, while Barcelona-El Prat Airport stood in second place, with 25.5 million.

El Prat breaks records

In the statistics for August, the airport with the greatest passenger traffic in the whole network was Barcelona-El Prat with 4.2 million users, the highest monthly figure in the history of the airport and an 8.6% rise over the same period last year.

In second place Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, which handled nearly four million passengers, an increase of 5%. In third place Palma de Mallorca Airport, which reached 3.7 million users and again achieved another record number of passengers, the fifth in a row so far this year.

It is also worth noting the record set by Alicante-Elche Airport, which reached 1.2 million passengers, 4% more than in 2013 and which thereby recorded the busiest month in its history.

In addition, Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport, which with 1.7 million passengers closed its best August ever.