Andalusia’s airports open new routes for high season

New routes set to open this summer, along with the consolidation of some already operational during high season, are primed to offer Andalusians access to dozens of new destinations, while opening up the Alhambra, the Mezquita and some of Spain’s finest beaches to new markets. Low-cost carriers Ryanair and Vueling are behind the bulk of the new offer.

Twenty-two new destinations are on offer from Málaga-Costa del Sol alone. A direct flight to New York’s JFK is also entering its sixth operational year at the airport and Delta Airlines projects the route will enjoy 80-percent occupancy in June and July and more than 90 percent in August.

Among the new European routes are those to several German cities, including Berlin, Munich and Dortmund, as well as Belfast, Brussels, Oslo, Bergen, Copenhagen, London and Cardiff. Combined, Ryanair, Vueling, Aer Lingus and Jetairfly are offering 41 percent more seats than last year.

Seville’s airport has seen a 14-percent drop in passengers in the first quarter of 2013 and a total of 670,000 fewer travelers for the whole of 2012 over the previous year. It hopes to arrest this slide with new routes to Lyon, Geneva and Menorca. Vueling plans to offer 2.5 million seats out of Seville this year.

Almería airport has bet on Scandinavia, with new routes to Billund, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Oslo and Reykjavik.