Ryanair Arrives at Barcelona Airport

Online, August 11, 2010 (Newswire.com) - It expanded at a rapid rate and now carries over forty million passengers a year on its 'no-frills, low-budget' flights. Because it sometimes carried more passengers than British Airways, the company fondly referred to itself as 'the world's favourite airline'.

Cheap flights from budget airlines have truly revolutionised the world's tourist industries and Ryanair has fought off competition to become a household name in low-fares airlines. It is Europe's largest budget airline with over forty bases covering more than 1000 routes to 155 destinations worldwide. Its staff now exceeds 7,000 strong and its success story looks set to run and run.

However, one thing Ryanair has not done so far is operate flights to Barcelona. Up until now, passengers wanting to avail themselves of Ryanair's low-cost flights to Catalonia have to opt for either Girona or Reus airports. Girona is about 100 kilometres north of Barcelona and visitors wishing to travel to Barcelona would have to make the journey by road or rail.

Similarly Reus is around 100 kilometres south-west of Barcelona, near Tarragona. Buses and trains run between Reus and Barcelona, but not as frequently as between Girona and Barcelona. Transfer therefore is inconvenient and costly, and often outweighs the savings on the cheaper flights.

Later this year, all that will change. From September 2010, Ryanair plans to open its forty-second base at Barcelona's El Prat Airport from other destinations in Spain, as well as some in other parts of Europe. For those not able to fly direct, then at the very least this will remove the hassle of transferring from plane to public transport for the final leg of the journey.

The news will be extremely welcome to those holiday-makers looking for sun, sand and sangria towards the end of the season. Ryanair will operate 5 aircraft based in Barcelona, and introduce twenty low fare routes into one of Europe's most popular cities.
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To celebrate this long-awaited move, Ryanair released a million seats from as little as Є5 on selected European flights. With temperatures still hovering in the 20°s and the temptingly tepid waters of Barcelona's popular beaches, this, for many is an ideal time for a family holiday or long break. And low-cost flights to Barcelona now make this an offer that will be difficult to refuse.