Carolina Martinoli: "Vueling is essential for developing long-haul at El Prat airport"

ViladecansSince its birth in 2004, Vueling has become the main airline of Barcelona airport, also now that it continues to break passenger records. With its expansion on the horizon, the airline company aims to reach 60 million travelers by 2035, half of whom will be gained at El Prat. An expansion plan that will entail an investment of 5,000 million euros, which will be mainly allocated to changing the fleet, replacing the European manufacturer Airbus with the American Boeing. In this interview, its president, Carolina Martinoli (Buenos Aires, 1969), who landed here in 2024 after working for other companies in the IAG group, such as Iberia and British Airways, breaks down Vueling's future.

Where do you see Vueling in ten years?

— Barcelona is our home. Here we were born and it will always be a strategic priority for us. The other leg we have is domestic flights in Spain, where we have ten more bases. It is a less known aspect of Vueling, but we are leaders in these connections. Finally, there are the connections between the Spanish bases and the rest of Europe.

What role has Vueling played in the development of Barcelona Airport?

— When Vueling began operating in 2004, El Prat handled around 24 million passengers annually, and now Vueling alone moves this same figure. We started with two planes and five destinations, and in a period of two decades, which is not that long, we have reached this point. We are an airline that has always invested in Barcelona and Catalonia. We have been a main driver of El Prat's growth. We hope to continue to be so.

Do they feel responsible for the touristification that Barcelona is suffering?

— We work with many institutions to de-seasonalize tourism, with events such as the Mobile World Congress (MWC) or Primavera Sound. However, it is important to see the effect that occurs when a route is cancelled: the concern that is generated among the community. Connectivity is valued when it ceases to exist. Barcelona is one of the best-connected cities in Europe. One thing that is not widely known is that Vueling carries more Barcelona passengers than international ones. That is, we are more of us who travel as tourists somewhere, and not so many tourists who come here. All this generates value, employment, and opportunities for the inhabitant. What fault do I have in all this? Things must be put in their place.

They aim to reach 20 million passengers by 2035. How is it done?

— The fleet that will arrive will have more seats per plane. For now, most of our planes are A320s, which have between 180 and 186 seats. The models we will receive will have 197 and 224 seats. There will be a part of the growth that will be caused by the caliber of the new planes and another, by flying. Half of this growth should be in connections with Barcelona. Although everyone says that El Prat is saturated, in Barcelona we have grown. Last year we grew by 5% in passengers and this year we will grow by 3%. We are expanding in Barcelona and we intend to continue doing so in the coming years. Looking to the future, we want the airport to develop more, but we will continue to grow by using off-peak hours and putting more planes.

Do you notice that El Prat airport is saturated?

— Yes. It is during the early and late hours of the day, when there is no more room for planes. Here the airport operates at full capacity and there is little room for manoeuvre.

How did you receive the words of the president of Aena, Maurici Lucena, who criticized Vueling's announced growth plans?

— We are the main operator at El Prat, with a 40% share, and we know it. We are growing year after year. For other airlines, there are opportunities that are not as interesting, such as flying during off-peak hours. People always strongly associate aviation with tourism. Obviously, it is a very relevant factor in Spain and Catalonia. But there is another that is fundamental: the connectivity of the inhabitants. We have densified routes, that is, with many flights throughout the day. For example, we have eleven daily frequencies between Barcelona and Paris on average throughout the year. Not all frequencies are equally profitable, but we look at the overall offering to make it competitive and to be able to provide a service to the communities where we operate. When you operate domestic connections, you have to offer many frequencies a day because you have travelers who want to go for a meeting or to see the doctor. With this densification, off-peak hours fit us.

In fact, Aena says that, until the airport is expanded, growth will only be possible during off-peak hours and winter months.

— We are also growing in the summer. Last year we scheduled 9% more seats and this year we will also grow, albeit more moderately, with 3% more seats. Larger capacity aircraft will also come into play. We have different tools at our disposal that will allow us to continue growing until the expansion is done.

Your planes do not need the third runway to be extended.

— The expansion of El Prat is necessary and we support it. We are absolutely convinced that the airport will have the modernization and expansion it needs to develop and continue growing. From our point of view, it is a bit of everything; it is also a matter of terminal capacity. That is why we talk about its expansion and modernization. To provide good customer service, we need the infrastructure to be updated. The growth plans we have presented are aligned with those that Aena has communicated it will carry out from 2031 or 2032.

It will also be when the growth foreseen by Vueling accelerates.

— The fleet change is one of the tools for growth and this will happen within six to seven years. Therefore, there will be more intensification towards the end. The first planes will arrive in the last quarter of this year.

Why switch to Boeing?

— In the world, there are two major manufacturers of commercial aircraft, Airbus and Boeing. The products of both are of absolute quality. Boeing's new fleet will suit us well because it has more seats and, in addition, it will consume less fuel and have fewer emissions.

What differences will the user notice on a Boeing airplane?

— The last generation internet that you will have, which Starlink will provide. It will be better than what we have at home. I'm not kidding. Besides, the suitcases are bigger and will allow us to put more luggage in them and be closer to our suitcase.

The fleet change was announced a few days after the tariff agreement between the European Union and the United States was closed the tariff agreement between the European Union and the United States.

— Airplane orders are placed well in advance and the IAG group had placed it many years ago. All major European airlines operate with Boeing: name one and you'll see. IAG already operates with Boeing through British Airways, in long-haul. And the large European groups also have Boeing. It is very common for a large group to have both manufacturers.

Level, an airline of the same group dedicated to long-haul, is also betting on El Prat. How can collaboration between the two companies be increased?

— It is fundamental. We work hand in hand with Level for this connectivity to grow. We offer more than a hundred destinations from Barcelona, but we also make connections from other places in Spain via El Prat. And, besides Level, we also connect with other long-haul operators such as American Airlines or Qatar Airways. Short-haul is fundamental for long-haul, because intercontinental flights do not operate point-to-point. It is almost impossible to fill a long-haul flight. Even though hubs have a lot of activity, they always depend on short-haul connections. Vueling is essential for developing long-haul at El Prat airport. Currently, 11% of passengers connect, and of these, 69% do so with Vueling.

How can a low-cost airline contribute to making El Prat an hub intercontinental?

— Sometimes the label of low cost is confused with the quality of service received. Instead of talking about low cost, I like to call it pay-per-use: you pay for the items you use. We do a lot of domestic flights and many people don't need a cabin suitcase. They travel with a backpack that can go under the seat. Why should they pay for it if they don't need it? The pay-per-use model gives more options to people who want a cheaper fare.

Does the low-cost label bother you?

— No, not at all. It doesn't bother me because it democratized aviation and gave access to many people who couldn't fly in any other way. Before, people saved all year to take a flight and now young people can see the world.

All of this is very related to the fine that the Ministry of Consumption has imposed on them for charging for hand luggage. The user has the feeling that before it was not necessary to pay and now it is. What has changed?

— The debate is not well framed. It is not being debated whether to pay for the cabin suitcase, it is being debated who pays for it, whether it is the one who carries it or all the passengers. It is fairer that the one who carries it pays for it and not that everyone pays for it. The alternative to the current model is that the suitcase is diluted in the set of fares. Now, if you do it this way, you remove the possibility of access for people who do not need to carry any and who will have to pay a percentage of the suitcase of others.

The war in Iran has fully impacted the airline business, both due to the closure of certain airspaces and the increase in fuel costs. How are they experiencing it?

— The impact, not only for Vueling, but for everyone, will depend greatly on the extent and duration of the conflict. We have the peace of mind of having a high level of fuel coverage, between 75% and 80% for the whole year, with more protection in the short term. Beyond that, for now, I don't dare to make any further assessment because the situation is fluid and needs to be seen. It is a time to observe.