The President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, has defended an improvement in intercontinental air connections in Catalonia, one of the pending challenges after the air crisis caused by the pandemic. During the official inauguration of the new Vueling headquarters in Viladecans, Aragonès stressed that IAG’s low cost flight guarantees a “very competitive” level of connections with Europe. However, the president has insisted on aspiring “to an improvement in competitiveness in the intercontinental sphere”.
The head of the Catalan Executive has framed this matter in the “conversations” between administrations and civil society on “the future of infrastructures”, in reference to the debate on the expansion of Barcelona airport. The Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, has claimed in the same act the extension of El Prat, which she has described as “necessary”. In the minister’s opinion, an eventual expansion should serve to transform the airport into an “intercontinental hub” for long-haul flights, “always taking into account the highest environmental standards.” Something that, according to Sánchez, guarantees Aena’s initial proposal.
The budget agreement between the ERC and the PSC has recovered the initiative on the future of the airport, with the intention of recovering the negotiation between the Generalitat and the central government once the municipal elections in May have passed. Members of civil society have in turn presented proposals to expand the airport and gain capacity for intercontinental flights. The construction of a new track over the sea stands out among the latest contributions. Foment del Treball also has a commission open to explore solutions.
Aragonès and Sánchez have coincided in the inauguration ceremony of the new Vueling headquarters, in Viladecans. The company chaired by Marco Sansavini has moved its headquarters to a 12,000-square-meter building owned by Meridia that houses more than 700 workers (Vueling has 4,200 employees in total). The new location is part of the company’s transformation plan, commented Sansavini, and brings together for the first time the Vueling operations center with the Vueling Tech training, innovation and digitization hubs. The operations center is the heart of operations of the company. From there, the more than 200,000 flights a year it manages (700 a day in high season) and a fleet of 124 aircraft are controlled in real time.
Last year Vueling transported 29 million passengers throughout the network and for this year it plans to increase its capacity by 16% above the pre-pandemic figures, although this growth is subject to an agreement with the unions that ensures social peace in the company. The airline is currently negotiating the new collective agreement with the cabin crew, who staged a months-long strike.
Vueling returned to profit in the last financial year after accumulating millions in losses during the first two years of the pandemic. Revenues in 2022 amounted to €2.6 billion, with profits of €187 million before exceptional items.
In total, the airline operates more than one hundred routes to 30 countries directly and allows connection to 26 intercontinental destinations through an agreement with Level, IAG’s long-haul low cost, as well as with other airlines. It is the leading company at Barcelona airport. “Our commitment is firm to guarantee connectivity not only in Barcelona and the domestic market, but also in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East”, highlighted Marco Sansavini.
In addition to Aragonès and Sánchez, the event was attended by the mayor of Viladecans, Carles Ruiz, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Natà lia Mas, the delegate of the Government in Barcelona, ​​Carlos Prieto, and representatives of the main employers and economic entities .
