Catalonia’s fourth biggest airport hopes to surpass last year’s figures

The fourth biggest airport in Catalonia, Lleida-Alguaire airport, which serves the west of the country and the Pyrenees, has high hopes for its figures regarding 2018.

It has carried out 983 operations thus far this year, already beating 2017’s 636. This rise is largely put down to the commitment of companies such as Vueling and the Barcelona-Sabadell Aeroclub to use the facility in order to train pilots, as well as general and commercial operations.

Expectations are high this year in terms of passenger traffic, with the number expected to exceed 32,000 during 2018, according to the entity behind Catalan-owned airports.

Lleida-Alguaire airport closed the 2017-2018 winter season with a total number of 26,084 passengers, a figure surpassed in the same period during 2011 and 2012 when 26,480.

Increased activity

The secretary of infrastructure and mobility, Ricard Font, has confirmed that the Valencian airline Air Nostrum will carry out regular flights from Lleida-Algulaire to destinations such as Mallorca, Menorca, and Ibiza.

Font also confirmed that winter flights run by the British tour operator Nelson, and the Swedish operator Quality Travel will continue.  Until the Swedish company began organizing flights to Lleida-Alguaire airport, the facility had mostly been used by people from Britain in order to hit the slopes of the Andorran Pyrenees.

A new connection run by British airline Jet2 will also connect the Lleida airport to London-Stansted. A new regular flight will operate on a weekly basis, linking the western Catalan region to the capital of England. Specifically running on Sundays, from December 23 and March 17, Jet2 plans to make 5,000 seats available.

This increase in activity is cause for the airport’s optimism of surpassing the total of passenger traffic last year, which stood at 30,406, a drop from 2016’s 34,754 passengers.

Aeroports de Catalunya, which runs Catalan-owned airports like Lleida-Alguaire and La Seu d’Urgell-Andorra, is also working on attracting new business activities related to the aeronautics industry, technology, and commercial aviation services.

The Lleida Air Challenge

The airport is also to host the fifth edition of the Lleida Air Challenge taking place on June 2 and 3.

It will feature more than 50 exhibitors in varying fields such as drones, flight schools, aeronautical companies, and more. For those interested in feeling the thrill of flight, there will also be a flight simulator, as well as various aeronautical-related activities for attendees. This year’s edition will also feature more aircrafts on exhibition than previous years.

During the Lleida Air Challenge, there will also be the chance to visit the airport facilities. AS a bonus, this year both parking and entrance will be free. Any light aircraft pilots wishing to attend will also not have to pay to land their planes.