Valencia meets with Jet2, Vueling and easyJet after a record year for air passengers

The regional minister for Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism, Marián Cano, has held a series of meetings with the airlines Jet2 Holidays, Vueling and easyJet within the framework of FITUR in Madrid with the aim of finding out about an increase in the number of routes from Valencian airports during the next season when air connectivity is expected to increase by 8% according to data collected by technicians from the Valencian Institute of Tourism Technologies (INVATTUR).

During the meetings, the airlines demonstrated their willingness to “maintain a positive trend” and to “continue working to develop the full potential of the airports in the Comunidad Valenciana” after a record year during which more than 28 million passengers entered the region by air.

Cano explained that “connections are essential to create tourism, and in the Valencian Government we maintain permanent contact with the airlines to listen to their needs” … “among them, the expansions of the airports of Manises and Alicante-Elche, which the regional government considers urgent“.

Among the topics discussed in the meetings with the airlines was an analysis of the situation of the British market and the prospects for the summer of 2025. Cano has highlighted the importance of the British market, since, according to the latest data from the INE, “the most important tourism market for the Comunidad Valenciana is the United Kingdom, with the arrival of more than 2.8 million Britons from January to November of last year, 11.3% more than in 2023”.

Jet2 is a low-cost airline and tour operator, focused on offering flights and holiday packages at competitive prices. Jet2.com was launched in 2002 and its first flight was in 2003 between Leeds and Manchester, and in 2007 it launched its tour operator Jet2holidays, which has 11,700 employees. It has a fleet of 120 aircraft and has 12 bases in the United Kingdom and two in Spain, the one in Alicante opened in 2013 and another in Tenerife South opened in 2019.

Since 2022, this airline has been promoting the environmental sustainability strategy ‘Jet2 Net Zero’. All its ground operations have no CO2e footprint, and its offices in the United Kingdom are powered by renewable energy. This sustainability strategy extends to all its suppliers, including the hotel sector. Thus, they include on their website a list of 800 sustainable hotels under a section called ‘Certified Sustainable Hotels’ where customers can select hotels that meet the official standards of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

In addition, the airline plans to open a new base in Luton next April with flights to Alicante, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Reus and Gerona.

EasyJet is a British airline based at London Luton Airport. It began operating in 1995 and is the second largest British company in terms of number of passengers per year and one of the leading airlines in Europe.

This airline has connections in the Comunidad Valenciana at Valencia and Alicante airports. Last year the airline opened a base at Alicante-Elche airport, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of its arrival at the airport.

Vueling was founded in 2004 in Barcelona and since then it has experienced remarkable growth, building a wide network of routes with which it transports millions of passengers each year and connects around 30 countries. Furthermore, with the efforts of a team of more than 4,600 people, it leads the Spanish domestic market and is committed to innovation and proximity in its operations.

SOURCE: GVA – Innovación, Industria, Comercio y Turismo