Ryanair boosts Spanish presence

Budget airline Ryanair is to boost its Spanish presence with the opening of its third main Spanish air hub at Reus Airport near Tarragona.

Subject to the successful completion of infrastructure upgrades at the airport and the approval of various conditions by the airport operator Aena, Ryanair will fly between ten and 14 routes from the new base.

According to the Spanish Airport Guide Reus has benefited a great deal from the introduction of low cost flights from Ryanair, with passenger numbers more than doubling since 1995.

This has had an extremely positive effect on local tourism, and the opening of the new hub is likely to boost the number of visitors even further, especially as Reus is just ten minutes from the popular theme park Port Aventura and an hour's drive from the city of Barcelona.

Ryanair has two other Spanish hubs in Madrid and Gerona. It announced new routes to Rome from Madrid as well as 19 other connections from its base in Gerona.