The institutions with a presence at the Airport Table, meeting this morning at the Government Sub-delegation, have committed to continue working to promote Granada as a safe destination and join forces so that the activity in the Federico García Lorca Airport gradually increase, thus contributing to the reactivation of the tourism sector in both provinces.
After more than a year in which society in general and the tourism sector in particular have lived through complicated and delicate moments, “the good progress of the vaccination campaign in our country and, specifically, in the province of Granada, make that now is a good time to join forces in favor of the recovery of a sector, such as tourism, which is so important in the economy of our province ”, said the sub-delegate of the Government, Inmaculada López Calahorro, which also valued very positively the recent visit of the Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés, who announced his support for the Geopark project and the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Lady of Baza.
In the same way, in a meeting with companies in the tourism sector, the Secretary of State also announced the lifting by the EU of restrictions on travelers from the United States, important news for our destination where the North American market is between the best positioned in long-haul markets. It also influenced the effort to be made to make our country the gateway for the North American Delta Airlines line for the entire European market.
Increase connections
For his part, the provincial deputy for Tourism, Enrique Medina, has pointed out that since Provincial Council of Tourism Meetings have been held with half a dozen airlines to try to recover the volume of national and international connections that the FGL Airport had before the pandemic. “All of them have conveyed to us their interest in establishing routes with Granada and we trust that some of the negotiations will translate into tangible results in the short term. However, we must bear in mind that there are still restrictions on mobility, there are still closed borders, the airlines have been very affected by the crisis and it is now that they are rearming and planning their operational strategy ”.
The airport manager, Julian Torres, for its part, has reviewed the evolution of air traffic up to May, highlighting the impact that mobility restrictions have had on flight and passenger records, as a consequence of the evolution of the pandemic. Thus, in 2020, the number of passengers at the airport fell by 68,8% and until May 2021 the setback has been of 66,1%. This evolution contrasts significantly with that of 2019, when the number of travelers grew at the airport by 11,2%, until reaching 1.252.019. However, the airport director has highlighted that in recent weeks the reactivation of national routes has been noticed, which gives rise to think that activity may increase in the near future.
In the specific case of Aena, as airport managers, measures have been adopted to make it easier for the airlines to return to activity, with reductions and discounts in airport rates or the reform and expansion of the terminal itself, which will favor its operation and will help make it more efficient.
Safe airport
Another important aspect that has been working on since April 2020 at the aerodrome is to offer passengers, airlines and employees a safe airport with the adoption of numerous measures for the control of capacity and health. The “safe airport” certificate issued by the Airports Council International (ACI) under the name Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) is currently being processed.
From the Hospitality Federation, its secretary, Antonio García, has requested greater investment from public institutions in attracting customers, routes and companies and the commitment to new markets such as Nordic or Eastern Europe as well as tourism in skiing and the segment of congresses, meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions. In addition, they have asked for greater mobility since without it, there will be no recovery of Tourism
The Airport Table is made up of the Government Sub-delegation, the Granada City Council, the Granada Provincial Council, the Government Delegation of the Junta de Andalucía, the Federico García Lorca Granada Airport, the Santa Fe and Chauchina city councils, the Granadina Confederation of Entrepreneurs , the Provincial Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Companies, and the Chamber of Commerce.
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