Most Mallorca Holidays start and end at the airport. As one of the busiest in Spain, Victoria Amengual finds out some interesting facts and figures.
Most Mallorca holidaymakers arrive on the island by plane at Palma’s International airport, otherwise known as Son Sant Joan. On their way to collect their bags they pass by photos of Rafa Nadal, the Cathedral and Mallorca’s magnificent beaches. Their holiday has begun.
To ensure passengers a smooth arrival and departure, Aena, the worldwide operator that runs the Aeropuerto de Palma de Mallorca, (and globally handles flights for more than 100m passengers a year) employs a general director and 10 division directors which in turn run 22 departments and 17 sub-departments.
Palma’s Airport is one of the top twenty busiest airports in Europe (it ranked number 16 in the busy list in 2010 when over 21.1 million passengers passed through) and was the third busiest in Spain, after Madrid Barajas and Barcelona El Prat. In 2007 it hit record figures at 23.2 million passengers, but then the world experienced an economic meltdown the effects of which are continuing to be felt on our island and the world over. How has the credit crunch affected the airport? ‘‘The number of flights has been descending since 2007, but the fact is that Palma’s airport was not the most affected by the financial crisis,’’ said an airport representative. The numbers may be on the increase again this year, but the 174.637 flights that came through the airport in 2010 are still a long way away from the record figures experienced 4 years ago. On the plus side there are constantly new flights coming into Palma. New arrivals for summer 2011 include flights from: Brno in the Czech Republic, Hauge-sund in Norway, Oulu in Finland and Sarajevo in Bosnia Herzegovina. And the number of private jets arriving at the airport is on the increase. Over 7000 private jets landed at Palma airport in 2010.
So what has attracted these new tourists to the island? Well, apart from the luscious scenery and beaches (63 of which are flying the Blue flag this year) which make it a secure and attractive option to tour operators the world over, the team of directors at Palma Airport likes to think it also has something to do with the high quality service on offer at Son Sant Joan.
‘‘We work very hard to ensure that all our services are safe, environmentally friendly, and of the highest quality,’’ explained the airport representative, who went on to say that they strive for the airport to be as efficient as possible and are always working on new developments and services. The airport also runs regular customer satisfaction questionnaires, aimed both at passengers and the airlines themselves. Air carriers are asked for their opinion on general operations, fuel, navigation, and passenger and airport services. Passengers at the Palma airport also have access to Information desks and a Personalised Passenger Service, which is there to help passengers who may need any extraordinary help; this could include liaising with consulates or embassies – Palma was the first of Aena’s airports to include this service amongst its facilities.
So where do the 21 million passengers come from? Well, Germany still accounts for most of the passengers, no surprises there, and Air Berlin is the main carrier with 6 million passengers in 2010. The second biggest source of traffic is Air Europa at 1.8 million passengers, so Air Berlin is (air) miles ahead! Next on the list – and this does come as somewhat of a surprise given the amount of bad publicity the airline seems to get – is Ryanair. This Irish company has replaced EasyJet as THE cheap flights provider for Palma, bringing in 1,6 million passengers in 2010 compared to EasyJet’s 1,1 million. The airport is a credit to the island as far as facilities, service and safety are concerned. But there is always room for improvement. ‘‘There is still a lot we are striving to do in order to improve passengers’ experience at the airport, as well as that of everyone who works in and around the facility,’’ said the airport representative. The airport has recently upgraded the shopping area in terminal C and installed a new automatic lighting system within the airport car park which allows drivers to easily identify free spaces. Future projects include a brand new long stay car park and an extension to the arrivals hall which includes improvements to the baggage reclaims area. All part of the airport’s aim to continue increasing passenger capacity. The Mallorca airport is the most seasonal of all airports under the Aena umbrella, which encompasses 47 airports in Spain, and is involved in the management of 28 other airport facilities worldwide. The expert team of directors here in Mallorca continues to work hard to make sure your holiday gets off to the best possible start and that no matter how much you hate to leave, your trip home is a safe and happy one.
Link to: Palma de Mallorca Airport
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