Vueling will stop operating the air bridge between Barcelona and Madrid

BarcelonaVueling will cancel the three daily frequencies that it still operated from the air bridge, the historic route that links Barcelona and Madrid, starting on March 29. As has been advanced The Vanguard and the ARA has been able to confirm, the airline has reordered its priorities for the summer and will do without this destination to focus on others. For some time now, the train connection, using high speed, has defeated the plane as the preferred option to travel between the Catalan and Spanish capital. Thus, the last flight of the low cost The new service to connect Barcelona and Madrid will leave El Prat airport at the end of next month. Until now, Vueling operated three daily flights and 21 weekly flights on that route.

This does not mean, however, that the air bridge will be deserted from now on. Both Iberia and Air Europa will continue to offer the service, despite the growing competition from the train, in which the cake is currently shared by the Spanish Renfe, the French Ouigo and the Italian Iryo. Sources from Vueling insist that its passengers will not notice the change, since they will still be able to buy tickets for the air bridge on codeshare flights with Iberia through its website. It should be remembered that the two airlines are part of the IAG holding company, although each operates independently.

Regarding the possibility of Iberia taking over Vueling's routes to Madrid, sources from the Madrid-based company did not respond to this question and assured that "as in all operations, all decisions are made based on the market." Vueling emphasizes that this summer it will add three aircraft to its fleet to reinforce strategic routes. For example, in view of its peak season it will offer 16 million seats in Barcelona alone and will expand other key destinations such as the routes between the Catalan capital and the Balearic Islands – which are growing by 7% – and the Canary Islands – with 21% more supply.

Impact on prices

"The prices that Iberia and Air Europa can offer will continue to be under a lot of pressure due to high speed, and Vueling will be able to make more productive use of its aircraft and provide better service on other routes," says Pere Suau-Sanchez, a professor at the UOC and Cranfield University who specialises in the air sector. In this regard, the expert rules out the possibility that consumers will have to suffer a loss of connectivity or an increase in prices, because there will still be five competitors – three rail and two air – for this connection. On the other hand, the air bridge will be able to continue to feed the long-haul flights of Iberia and Air Europa for travellers who are going to stop in Madrid before taking a flight to another part of the world.

According to the latest data published by the National Securities Market Commission (CNMC), the share of trains compared to planes has increased on all routes offered in Spain to an average of 85%, with the exception of Madrid-Málaga.