Vueling swoops on Spanair routes
Spanish carrier Vueling has moved swiftly to mop up routes operated by failed rival Spanair, announcing that it is to increase its summer capacity from Barcelona by 50%.
Meanwhile Ryanair revealed this it is picking over the remains of the collapsed Barcelona-based airline, which grounded all its flights at the weekend after running out of cash. The Irish carrier said directors had been dispatched to Barcelona to examine Spanair’s business.
However, Vueling, which is also based at the Catalan airport, is plugging some of the gaps left by Spanair by bringing forward the launch of new flights from Barcelona to Copenhagen and Stockholm.
These services, which were, due to launch on March 25, have started immediately and instead of four flights a week to each city the airline is offering 11 weekly flights to both Copenhagen and Stockholm.
Announcing the move, Vueling CEO Alex Cruz said the airline would add 33 new frequencies to existing domestic and European routes this summer, giving it up to 14 daily flights between Madrid and Barcelona, nine to Bilbao, and eight to Seville and Mallorca.
From March 25 it will operate a daily service to Berlin and Hamburg and increase its frequency to Munich to four flights a day.
Vueling will also operate new routes from Bilbao to Tenerife, Las Palmas and Lanzarote.
Overall, Vueling will have 25% more flights this year than last and it is in advanced talks with lessors to add at least five more A320s to its current fleet of 43.
However, analysts have warned that other European airlines could be on the brink of collapse.
Yesterday, Hungary’s state-controlled national airline Malev declared that its finances were "unviable", despite continually improving commercial results.
The airline has approached its owners with "a request to do everything possible to resolve the situation" but the government is unlikely to pump more money into the carrier as the EU has already ordered the airline to pay back the state aid it received from 2007 to 2010.
Under EU competition rules, airlines are not allowed to receive financial aid from governments, even if the state is the largest shareholder.
According to the Financial Times, analysts are warning that other airlines are under rising pressure due to a deteriorating economic environment, high fuel prices and tough competition.
It quoted Eamonn Hughes of analyst Goodbody saying that a number of state carrriers, notably in central and eastern Europe, were at risk.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent