Jerez airport in trouble? Is the end nigh for Cádiz province’s only international airport?

After Spanish budget airline Vueling announced it is to pull out of Jerez after the summer, there are grave concerns about the future of the sherry capital’s airport.

The rot started to set in when Ryanair cynically ceased all operations to and from the UK last year. The only routes the Irish airline now fly from Jerez are to Madrid, Barcelona and Frankfurt-Hahn.

Announcing a fall of 3.1% in passenger numbers for the first six months of this year, the lady mayor of Jerez, María José García-Pelayo, noted that the airport has dropped back to 1994 levels in failing to achieve more than a million passengers a year. The target for 2012 was to reach four million! I don’t think they’re going to manage it ...

A further problem is the success of nearby Seville airport which has increased passenger numbers by over 20 per cent in the same period. The average growth rate for all Spanish airports is eight per cent.

At the moment the only direct flights to and from Jerez are internal ones and to Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria and Portugal. None to the UK any more (well done, Ryanair!).
 
The only airlines that will be using the place after the summer are: Condor, TUIfly, Air Berlin, Iberia, JetairFly, Luxair and Ryanair (three routes: to Madrid, Barcelona and Frankfurt-Hahn, Germany).
 
You have to ask what went wrong?

© Paul Whitelock

To read an article in Spanish, click here.

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Tags: Jerez airport, Cádiz, Vueling, Condor, TUIfly, Air Berlin, Iberia, JetairFly, Luxair, Ryanair, Seville airport, paul whitelock