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New flights between Newcastle and Barcelona to bring tourism boost

Low cost Spanish airline Vueling has announced its first ever service from Newcastle International Airport to Barcelona for summer 2016.

From March, Vueling will operate two weekly flights on a Tuesday and Friday, which increases to three weekly flights from June with an additional Sunday service.

In the summer, flights depart from Barcelona at 11:10 and from Newcastle at 13:50 and are operated using an Airbus A320 with capacity for 180 passengers. Fares currently start from as low as £80.32 return including taxes.

Vueling, the largest airline operating from Barcelona El Prat Airport and part of the International Airlines Group (IAG), owner of British Airways, Iberia and now Aer Lingus, covers close to 300 routes across more than 130 cities in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, with a fleet of Airbus aircraft.

Leon McQuaid, Aviation Development Manager at Newcastle International Airport, said: “We are delighted to welcome Vueling Airlines to Newcastle Airport for summer 2016, providing further choice for customers looking to visit Barcelona at affordable fares.

“We look forward to seeing many more passengers travelling to this exciting city and also connecting on to Vueling’s extensive route network to destinations such as Madrid, Seville and Bilbao. As well as anticipating further growth in outbound tourism we also expect this service to deliver a significant increase of inbound traffic to the region.”

Councillor Iain Malcolm, Leader of South Tyneside Council and lead of the LA7 shareholders, said: “On behalf of the Local Authority shareholders, I am delighted to welcome Vueling Airlines to the North East and secure this new service to Barcelona.

“This new service will allow extra choice and more opportunity for Spanish visitors to fly directly into the region, while providing easy and affordable access to the many attractions on offer.”

Sarah Stewart, Chief Executive of the NewcastleGateshead Initiative, added: “International visitors to the region contribute significantly to the local visitor economy, which currently stands at £1.4bn in NewcastleGateshead alone.

“We have a wide range of attractions here in North East England that we know appeal to global visitors - from the World Heritage Sites such as Durham Castle and Cathedral, to the Northumberland Coast which is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and of course our cultural attractions and icons, like the Angel of The North here in NewcastleGateshead.”

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