IB would be planning to drop the 'majority' of routes which operate out of BCN, except el puente aéreo (the BCN-MAD shuttle), due to the lack of profitability of the 'point to point' connections, said IB president Fernando Conte.
The elimination of these routes would give the new LCC airline, projected by IB and other companies, a larger growth potential.
This measure will not only affect El Prat, but also other national airports, although BCN would be the most affected.
Mr Conte explained that, amid the elimination of routes, "in no case are we talking about an eventual closedown of IB operations out of BCN". Barcelona airport is the second most important in Spain, after MAD-Barajas. Since the celebration of the Olympic Games it has increased it's passenger volume over a 100%, from 10 million in 1992 to over 27 million in 2005.
The 'director plan' (strategy plan) for the 2006-2008 period concentrates on a reorganization of its operations focusing on profitability rather than growth, what will mean expanding their long-haul connections (+13%) more than the European ones (+0,7%), and reducing their domestic flights (-17%).
"The selective restructuring of the domestic market attends the internal requirements that the market demands", according to Conte.
The mayor and la Generalitat (the regional government) have expressed their concern and worry over this decision.
So it seems that El Prat will become more and more a airport with low cost carriers. Isn't Iberia already operating as a low cost carrier on european destinations ?
