Costa Blanca

The Valencian Government is talking with Jet2, Vueling, and easyJet to find out about their plans for growth in the Valencian Community in 2025.

The Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Marián Cano, has held a series of meetings with the airlines Jet2 Holidays, Vueling and easyJet in the framework of Fitur with the aim of being interested in an increase in the number of routes from the airports Valencians in the next season, in which air connectivity is expected to increase by 8% according to the data collected by the technicians of the Valencian Institute of Tourism Technologies (Invattur).

These companies are committed to keeping a good trend and working to fully develop the region’s airports. This follows a record year when over 28 million passengers flew into the area.

“Connections are essential for tourism, and the Valencian Government keeps in regular contact with airlines to understand their needs,” the minister said. “This includes expanding the Manises and Alicante-Elche airports, which the Council believes cannot be delayed.”

During the talks with the airlines, a key topic was the analysis of the British market and what to expect for summer 2025. Cano highlighted that the British market is very important. Recent data shows that the United Kingdom is the main source of visitors for the Valencian Community, with over 2.8 million British visitors arriving from January to November last year, which is an 11.3% increase compared to 2023.

Jet2 is a budget airline and travel company that provides affordable trips and vacation packages. Jet2.com was started in 2002, with its first flight taking place in 2003 between Leeds and Manchester. In 2007, it introduced its tour operator, Jet2holidays, which has 11,700 workers. It has 120 planes and 12 bases in the UK, plus two in Spain. The Alicante base opened in 2013, and the Tenerife South base opened in 2019.

This airline supports the ‘Jet2 Net Zero’ plan for environmental responsibility that started in 2022. All its land activities do not produce carbon emissions, and its buildings in the UK use renewable energy. This sustainability plan applies to all its providers, including hotels. Their website has a list of 800 sustainable hotels in a part called ‘Certified Sustainable Hotels.’ Customers can choose hotels that follow the official rules of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

Jet2 airline will open a new base in Luton next April. From there, it will offer trips to Alicante, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Reus, and Girona.

EasyJet is a British airline that operates from London Luton Airport. It began operating in 1995 and is the second biggest airline in the UK by passenger numbers each year. It is also one of the top airlines in Europe.

This airline offers flights from Valencia and Alicante in the Valencian Community. Last year, this airline started operations at Alicante-Elche airport to mark its 25th anniversary there.

Vueling Airlines started in 2004 in Barcelona. Since then, it has grown quickly, creating many routes to carry millions of people each year and connecting about 30 countries. A team of over 4,600 people works hard to lead the Spanish market and focuses on innovation and close connections in their operations.

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TRAM d’Alacant will start a bus service between the Hospital Vila and Benidorm stops and will restart the straight route to Dénia tomorrow.

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, 28 January, Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV) will provide a bus service between the Hospital Vila and Benidorm stops on Line 1 (Luceros-Benidorm) of the TRAM d’Alacant until the end of April.

Line 9 (Benidorm-Dénia) will return to normal along its whole route after the new Algar and Mascarat bridges are finished. This means you won’t need to make any transfers for the journey.

The train service on this part of Line 1 is stopped because workers are adding more tracks and installing electric lines. As an alternative, FGV has planned a bus service on this section with stops in Benidorm, Cala Finestrat, Hospital Vila, Costera Pastor and Creueta that will connect with the railway service in circulation, at the stops of Creueta (direction Luceros) and Benidorm (direction Dénia). The Terra Mítica stop will not have bus service in the affected area.

For more information about our services, you can check the schedule, stations, and TRAM stops by calling Customer Service at 900 72 04 72. You can also find this information on our website www.tramalacant.es and in the official app.

Opening of the Altea-Calp part of Line 9.

The new Algar and Masacrat bridges are finished, so the Altea-Calp section, which has been closed since last April, is now open again. Also, the upgrades to Line 9 are complete, allowing trains to run directly between Benidorm and Dénia without passengers needing to change trains.

The new Algar and Mascarat bridges complete the major makeover of Line 9 that began in 2014. This project by the Generalitat has caused disruptions in service in various parts of the line for the past ten years.

New bridges

The project on the Algar River involved making a new bridge next to the old one, which was built between 1913 and 1915. The old bridge is now used as a walkway, according to its classification as a Local Relevant Asset.

The Algar project involved building a bridge with a concrete slab that is 226 meters long and 6 meters wide.

The new Mascarat viaduct is a straight metal structure that weighs 114,000 kilogrammes and is 43.20 meters long. It crosses the valley with a single support and has the same design as the original deck, which is a PRATT-type metal structure.

Mascarat’s work includes replacing the railway platform’s structure with slab track for about 1.5 kilometres. They are also protecting and covering 12,475 square meters of slopes with strong triple torsion meshes around the three tunnels that the TRAM d’Alacant travels through in this area.

The new bridges will allow for the removal of the diesel trains, which will be replaced by newer dual-fuel trains. These new trains will be used on the Dénia-Calp section starting in 2023 and will operate along the entire line.

Features of the projects between Hospital Vila and Benidorm.

The ongoing projects are in the towns of Vila Joiosa, Finestrat, and Benidorm, covering a distance of 6.23 kms. The project has a budget of about 40 million euros, including VAT, and is funded by the European Union’s MRR.

The project involves building a second track, which includes making a new bridge over the Barranco del Murtal, laying down the track structure and adding electricity.

In this project, we will upgrade the Cala Finestrat and Terra Mítica stops to meet new accessibility standards. We will also improve access to the Hospital de la Marina Baixa from the Hospital Vila stop by adding a lift to make it easier for everyone to get to.

The project is set to start by the end of 2025 and will need to pause train services for a while.

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Strong Wind Warning

On Tuesday, January 28, 2025, high winds are expected to trigger yellow-level warnings, according to the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET). The Iberian Peninsula’s east and southeast will be affected by maximum gusts of 70 to 90 km/h that are predicted to come from the west-northwest.

Be aware that these notices may be raised to higher levels or extended to further places as the date approaches. We advise to take the following precautions:

protects items against wind-driven displacement.
Steer clear of open outdoor spaces.
Follow instructions from authorities and stay updated via official sources.

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Alicante and Benidorm might get a Wetherspoons pub.

Wetherspoon’s CEO and founder, Tim Martin, wants to open new Wetherspoon pubs in other countries.

We believe there are around 100 to 200 franchise groups in the UK. Now, it’s a matter of considering going abroad, and it could happen. Martin said, “Now there’s a chance to have franchises in other countries.”

What plans does Wetherspoons have for the future? The pub chain is focussing on popular Spanish vacation spots for Brits, like Majorca, Benidorm, and Alicante. According to Martin, these are good choices for the company’s first move into Europe.

Wetherspoons wants to grow internationally after doing well with franchise partnerships in the UK.