The new offices has its registered office on the islands of Tenerife and it is composed of 81 people, a number that the company expects to ascend up to 115 employees in 2017.
Vueling also opens today a new operational base in the Reina Sofia International Airport (Tenerife South), the third in the Canary Islands, where it will be installed a model Airbus A320 aircraft.
Santa Cruz of Tenerife, 1st June 2016 – Vueling, the second largest airline in Spain, presents this Wednesday its first branch office in the Canary Islands, constituted after receiving the approval of the Consortium of the Canary Islands Special Zone (ZEC). This new project will allow the company to grow in the archipelago more than a 20% in the number of frequencies and new abroad routes in the years 2016-2017, while also contribute to the promotion of the region, boosting its economic and tourism development.
The new branch office, officially called ‘Vueling Airlines SA, Sucursal en Canarias’, has its registered office on the island of Tenerife and it is composed of 81 people, although Vueling expects to ascend this figure up to 115 employees in 2017.
To Fernando Estrada, Director of Strategy and Alliances of Vueling, “the Canary Islands are a very strategic market for Vueling, where we want to continue growing with new frequencies and routes, not only nationals but internationals, in the coming years. To create a branch office is, without doubt, the best way to develop this overall growth between the company and the region”.
The President of the Canary Islands Government, Fernando Clavijo, has also stressed that “Vueling has shown that the Canary Islands are an opportunity for investment. An opportunity that sum benefits such as its strategic geographical location, its infrastructures and services, its security and that it is the territory with the lowest taxation in Europe. Advantages that have served to attract a company like Vueling, which will begin to generate wealth and employment in the Canary Islands. We welcome this company with the conviction that, if different administrations continue working together, we will achieve that good news, such as the one we present today, happen again in a future”.
By its part, the president of the ZEC, Beatriz Barrera, said that the connectivity is one of the “key elements” to consolidate the projection of the Canary Islands as an international platform for investment. “With the entry of Vueling in the ZEC, and its branch office in our region, a boost is given to this objective”, she underlined. The fact that air transports activities can benefit from the tax advantages of this incentive, responds to the basics of this tool approved by the European Union (EU), such as the diversification of the economic structure and job creation.
Beatriz Barrera also highlighted that the tax savings of the companies and, therefore, the reduction of the operating costs to increase their competitiveness, must go aimed at creating jobs, generating economic activity and at the connectivity of the Canary Islands, thus promoting the internationalization of the regional economy. “We hope that the bet by Vueling and the ZEC boost the establishment of new airlines in order to internationally promote ourselves as air logistics hub”.
Tenerife South, new operational base
Coinciding with the launch of the delegation, Vueling also inaugurates a new operational base in the Reina Sofia International Airport (Tenerife South), where will permanently install a model Airbus A320 aircraft, seating 180 passengers. This new base become the third one that Vueling established in the islands, adding to Tenerife North and to Gran Canaria. In addition, due to the high demand on routes to and from the Canary Islands, it is noteworthy the incorporation of the model Airbus A321 in the after-mentioned bases of Tenerife North and Gran Canaria. It is the largest aircraft fleet of the company, which has a configuration of 220 seats.
New routes for summer
For this summer season 2016, Vueling has a range of 43 routes in the Canary Islands, for which sales have more than 1,373,000 seats, which are already available through the website (Vueling.com), Mobile App (available for iOS and Android) and travel agencies. Among the new features include routes to Birmingham, Manchester, Rome and Zurich from South Tenerife Airport; Amsterdam, Milan and Zurich from Gran Canaria; Rome, Santiago de Compostela and Zurich from Lanzarote; and Rome from the island of Fuerteventura.
About Vueling
During the summer season 2016, Vueling will operate more than 410 routes in 162 airports in Europe, Middle East and Africa, with a fleet of 108 aircrafts. The leading company in the Barcelona El Prat Airport, with a market share of 37%, counts with a second hub in the Rome Fiumicino Airport where it is already the second operator. Since its first flight in July 2004, the company has already transported more than 100 million passengers.
For more information:
Department of Communication Vueling Airlines
Xabier Martínez – xabier.martinez@vueling.com or prensa@vueling.com
Phone: 933 78 78 83
Department of Communication Canary Islands Government
ebasmar@gobiernodecanarias.org
Phone: 922 923826
Department of Communication Canary Islands Special Zone (ZEC)
Luz María Nieves – comunicacion@canariaszec.com
Phone: 922 298 010 / 922 298 234