article_detail

Granada is working to strengthen its tourism sector with plans for four new flights, including two international routes, after a difficult year for foreign visitor numbers. The Provincial Council is now focusing on improving air links from Federico García Lorca Granada-Jaén Airport, with London, Warsaw, Bilbao and Valencia all in its sights.

 

The move comes after a year in which foreign tourism fell again, especially in the provincial capital. According to annual figures from Spain’s National Institute of Statistics, the decline was the third in a row and affected hotels, tourist apartments and campsites. In the capital alone, international visitor numbers fell by 20,371 compared with the previous year, showing how strongly transport links can affect the local tourism picture.

 

This week, the Governing Council of the Provincial Tourism Board approved a budget amendment of €427,533 to support action aimed at improving air connectivity. For Provincial Council president Francis Rodríguez, this is “a starting point” for securing the four routes the province wants.

 

On the international side, the aim is to bring back the London-Gatwick connection, which Vueling operated until October 2024, and to add a new link with Warsaw. These would sit alongside the current flights to Amsterdam, Paris and Nantes, although the Paris route only operates for part of the year, plus the forthcoming connection to Porto, due to start in November.

 

Domestically, the focus is on keeping Bilbao and adding Valencia. The Bilbao service ended at the end of March, after Vueling cited an internal reorganisation, although there had been hopes it would return later in the year. Granada is now trying to hold on to that link, while the Valencia route appears more realistic, with talks already held between Rodríguez and Vicente Mompó, president of the Valencia Provincial Council.

 

If these plans go ahead, the airport would offer 10 domestic routes, adding to existing connections with Madrid, Barcelona, Melilla, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, Santander, Gran Canaria and Asturias.

 

The push for more flights is also linked to wider concerns about transport in the province, including rail disruption and the warning that the airport could be closed for almost a month in May 2027 for improvement works. Ayuntamiento de Granada and the Provincial Council are both planning motions to ask the central government and Aena for an alternative plan.

 

 

 

 

 

Image: wikicommons