Spanair consolidates operations in Bilbao

Proof of its firm commitment to Bilbao, Spanair has doubled its efforts to achieve the operational capacity for extra destinations to and from the Biscayan city with respect to 2006. Thus, in 2007 an inaugural service to and from Fuerteventura has been launched, also operating in the winter season and flights to Jerez de la Frontera and Munich were added to the large number of routes between Bilbao and Spanish cities.

This means that the company, one of only two Spanish airlines with a Bilbao base, is now offering 56% of all the domestic destinations operated from this airport for business and leisure flights. Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Jerez de la Frontera, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife Sur, Las Palmas, and Palma de Mallorca, as well as Munich, are the destinations to which Spanair offers a return service to and from Bilbao.

The company's expansion in the Basque capital is thus reflected by its routes, which are used by a large numbers of passengers to reach the main business centres. For example, between January and July of this year, over 206,000 passengers travelled on the popular Bilbao-Madrid route, followed by the Bilbao-Barcelona service, with more than 119,000 users.

Links to and from the Canary Islands are also subject to high passenger demand, with the Bilbao-Tenerife Sur route, for example, transporting 49,000 customers up to July 2007.

From January to July this year the carrier flew a total of 523,173 passengers to and from Bilbao, achieving a market share of 23%, five percentage points up on 2006.

Spanair offers an average of 26 daily flights to and from the Basque capital which accounts for 9% of the company's total capacity. Besides, in the month of July last, Spanair flights reported for 18% of the total amount operated in Bilbao's Airport.

"We are really pleased to be in a position to offer more flights to and from Bilbao airport and thereby contribute to the region's social and economic development", stated Lars Nygaard, Spanair's Managing Director. "The importance of the Basque capital for our company is illustrated by the fact that Bilbao currently accounts for 9% of Spanair's total passengers, one point up on figures for 2006, and evidence of our effort and firm commitment to meet our passengers' flight requirements in this destination, especially those of our business travellers", he added.

Spanair was founded in 1986 and offers more than 600 daily flights operated with a fleet of 64 aircraft and in code share with its partners, to 241 destinations. Since April 2003, Spanair is a member of Star Alliance, the largest and most prestigious airline network in the world.

For further information and bookings, visit Spanair.com.