MADRID – The number of flights into Spain this summer is to rise by 14 percent, the national airports authority said Friday.

The Spanish Airports and Navigation Authority (AENA) said there were 1,111,608 flight ‘slots’ requested this summer by airlines – a rise of 133,210 compared with last year.

According to officials at AENA, the flights already cleared extend until the end of October.

The biggest rise in flights will be at Girona, in Catalonia, where the number of ‘slots’ was 14,817 – a 103 percent increase in compared with 2002.

It is thought the huge rise was due to the expansion of low-budget airline airlines, such as Ryanair, which use Girona.

Many holidaymakers or second-home owners coming to the Costa Brava use Girona as flights are cheaper and more convenient than coming to Barcelona.

But it also comes after Spain officially took over as the favourite holiday destination for Britons, replacing France.

The second -argest rise was at Valladolid with 4,620 flights (69 percent), then Badajoz (1,252 or 55 percent more) and Jerez (6,278 with 31 percent).

There were also significant rises in the number of slots at major airports.

Barajas airport in Madrid rose by 10 percent with 246,656 flights planned this year.

Barcelona airport is to see an 11 percent rise with 182,433 flights this summer. In Palma in Majorca, there are 131,821 flights planned – a 14 percent rise.

Airlines have also asked for  45.908 “slots” for airports at Alicante (+15percent); 7.546 in Asturias (+ 24 percent); 30,727 in Bilbao (+ 27 percent; 58.576 in Gran Canaria (+ 12 percent); 74.114 in Málaga (+ 17 percent); 11,460 in Santiago de Compostela (+ 30 percent); 36.689 in Tenerife Sur (+ 15 percent); 31.935 in Tenerife Norte (+ 21 percent); 30.498 in Valencia (+ 27 percent) and 18.083 in Seville (+ 23 percent).

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

                                       Subject: Spanish news