Vueling makes inaugural Newcastle flight
Above:
Leon McQuaid, Aviation Development Manager at Newcastle International Airport with crew from Vueling Airlines.
The Spanish carrier - which arrived in Newcastle under a traditional water cannon salute - is offering North East holidaymakers the chance to explore some of Spain's most idyllic destinations.
Not only can you discover the vibrant capital of Catalonia, Vueling's extensive route network will allow easy access for passengers to connect to onward cities such as Madrid, Seville, Bilbao and more.
Flights in March are scheduled on Thu 24th, Fri 25th, Mon 28th and Tue 29th. From April, the airline will operate regular twice weekly services on a Tuesday and Friday, increasing to three weekly flights from June with the addition of a Sunday service.
The service will also continue through winter 2016/17, with twice weekly flights on a Friday and a Sunday.
Leon McQuaid, Aviation Development Manager at Newcastle International Airport, said: "We are delighted to welcome Vueling Airlines to Newcastle.
"This new service allows extra choice and more opportunity for passengers looking to travel to Barcelona and beyond at affordable fares.
"As well as anticipating further growth in outbound tourism, we expect this service will deliver a significant increase of inbound traffic to the North East."
Gabriel Schmilovich, Network Planning, Scheduling and Slots Director at Vueling, said: "We are proud to announce the launch of the route from Newcastle to Barcelona, a popular destination among both holidaymakers and business passengers.
"As Barcelona is our main hub, customers from Newcastle will also be able to benefit from Vueling's connections to the south of Spain, the Balearic Islands, Africa or the Greek Islands."
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.
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.