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Faro’s new link with Barcelona
• 08 Mar 2007 •
 IRISH low-cost airline Ryanair has officially presented the first direct flight service from Faro Airport to Girona, near Spain’s second city Barcelona. During the presentation ceremony at Faro Airport, Maribel Rodriguez, Ryanair’s Director of Marketing and Sales for Spain and Portugal said: “We are very happy with the continuous growing of our operation here in the Algarve. By adding the Faro-Girona/Barcelona to the Faro-Madrid which we opened last year, we have now two routes to Spain which we foresee will transport 160,000 passengers per year.
“These passengers now have flights available with the lowest prices on the market, so they will have a bit more money left to spend during their vacation here in the Algarve. These are also the only direct flights between Faro and Spain which will make it a lot easier for tourists from the Madrid and Catalonia regions to come here and enjoy Algarve’s beautiful climate, as well as its hotels and its gastronomy.
To celebrate this day we are offering flights with 75 per cent discount in all lowest tariffs.” To commemorate the opening of the new route the Association of Algarve Tourism and Faro Airport have promoted several events during the morning. The passengers on the first flight were welcomed by an entertainment team and received several gifts.
Francisco Vieira Pita, Chief of Marketing and Customer Support of the Airport of Faro, said: “It is an enormous pleasure for Faro Airport to have a new flight connecting us with another Spanish Airport. This route is of extreme strategic importance for the development of the Tourism of Algarve, on the other hand, it is a new a low-cost service which the Airport of Faro can offer to the residents in the Algarve, as well as in Sapin’s Huelva province."
Daniel Queirós, Executive Director of the Algarve Tourism Association ATA also stressed the importance of this new route, saying: “It is with great satisfaction that the ATA finally sees the main national tourist destination linked with direct flights to two of the main geographical areas of Spain, Madrid and Barcelona. Through the new route Girona-Faro, Algarve is now closer to the Catalan tourists. As a result of the launching of this route, the Algarve is now closer to some six million potential tourists who live in the provinces of Barcelona and Girona.
“In the future this new route could have a very positive impact on the development of tourism and economic activity in the Algarve region and is part of the regional system for supporting new routes. In this sense, we are already preparing promotion strategies to consolidate the image of the Algarve in this important Spanish tourist market.”
The ATA, in partnership with Faro airport and Ryanair have already started a public relations campaign in Barcelona. Contacts have been made with the main local media organisations to publicise the main features of the Algarve as a tourist destination and the advantages of this new route. Ryanair is offering four flights per week between Faro and Girona with prices starting at 49 cents. However, when taxes are added, the minimum seat price is around 30 euros. This new service to Barcelona complements the daily service to Madrid from Faro Airport launched by Ryanair last November.
Last year, according to the ATA, Spanish tourists accounted for around 660,000 overnight stays in the region’s hotels and registered accommodation, while the number of visitors reached some 217,000, it is now hoped this number will rise thanks to the improved transport links. Ryanair is the largest European low cost airline carrier, with 432 routes connecting 125 airports in 24 European countries and Morocco and with a fleet of 111 Boeing 737-800 located in 18 bases throughout the European continent and the British Islands. |  Return to Top
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