Ryanair is investing €170 million to set up a new hub at Malaga International Airport, on the popular southern coast of Spain. The announcement was made in December by Chief Executive, Michael O’Leary, whilst embracing the festive spirit dressed up as Father Christmas.
The new hub will see 4 Ryanair planes based at the principal International Airport on the Costa del Sol, with 19 new routes being created. These new routes will take the total number of destinations serviced from Malaga, by Ryanair alone, to 39. New international destinations will include Paris Beauvais, Berlin Schonefeld, Allgau/Memmingen, Aarhus, Bratislava, Eindhoven, Maastricht, Krakow, Wroclaw, Pisa, Venice, Oslo Torp, Stockholm Skavsta, Gothenburg and Tampere. Domestic destinations Santiago de Compostela, Santander, Valladolid and Zaragoza are also amongst the new routes Ryanair will operate from Malaga.
Ryanair’s expansion into Malaga is part of 146 new routes the company announced for 2010. Their routes alone make up nearly 25% of all new routes announced to start in 2010 worldwide.
The new hub and substantial investment that comes with it will have only positive repercussions for the local economy. Firstly, Ryanair’s increased presence at Malaga airport will directly create 200 jobs, with the Chief Executive confident it will sustain 2000 jobs locally at the airport.
Secondly, the hub will mean that 39 destinations across Europe will have highly affordable access to Malaga and the Costa del Sol, encouraging more tourism to the area. Although, low cost airlines have a presence at Malaga Airport, new and additional routes come as a welcome boost to attracting tourism from new destinations to the Southern coast of Spain. In addition, as the Costa del Sol becomes a more affordable destination to more people throughout Europe, this will have a positive impact on the local property market.
Michael O’Leary confirmed that in 2 years time, the Malaga hub will be Ryanair’s 3rd largest in Spain – following Alicante and Madrid – transporting 2 million passengers per year.
Source: Sur in English, Anna Aero
Tags: Costa del Sol, Holiday Rental, Investors in Spain, Malaga, Property in Spain, Property on the Costa del Sol, Rentals on the Costa del Sol, Spain, Tourism in Spain