The Andalusian Government has already signed the agreement that guarantees the flight between Almería and Seville until the end of 2027. The Minister of Development, Territorial Coordination and Housing, Rocío Díaz, has informed the parliamentary committee that an agreement has been closed by which the Andalusian Government undertakes to pay the cost of maintaining the flight for the next three years, which amounts to nearly 12 million euros.
Rocío Díaz has indicated that the signing of this agreement is proof that “the Junta de Andalucía considers it a priority that this route be operated continuously and regularly by companies that meet minimum conditions of price and capacity to contribute to the economic and social development of Andalusia.”
He also pointed out that this air route is gaining in importance after it was shown that “rail connections do not meet expectations in terms of travel time” and the economic dynamism of these two Andalusian capitals.
The Minister of Public Works has recalled that the current contract expired on 31 October and, therefore, the Andalusian Government has taken the necessary steps to guarantee the continuity of this air route as a Public Service Obligation (OSP) until the end of 2027. To this end, the Government Council authorised the expenditure of 11.9 million euros to cover the costs of maintaining the flight. Subsequently, the Minister of Public Works has signed the agreement with the State, in which the Government assumes all the economic obligations that may arise in favour of the company that operates the route. The Ministry of Transport must now, with this agreement already signed, tender and award the new contract.
“The Government of Juanma Moreno is thus responding to the demands of the people of Almería in terms of communications, with the conviction that this route will continue to favour tourism, business and commercial activity in both capitals,” Rocío Díaz stressed.
This agreement maintains the air route until October 31, 2027. The estimated distribution of annual payments to meet the financial obligations has been calculated taking into consideration the payment method used in the current contract, which consists of paying for semesters in arrears against accounting audits.
The air route has been a Public Service Obligation since March 2009 and began operating on January 15, 2010. By operating under this declaration, it is subject to a series of mandatory requirements, such as regular and continuous operation of services, with schedules for adequate connectivity between both cities, with guarantees of round-trip journeys on the same day on working days and with minimum conditions of service quality in terms of ticket prices and seat offers.
The flight between Almería and Seville offers connections between the two Andalusian capitals every working day (two outbound and two return trips), in addition to the two flights that operated on Sundays and holidays. With this frequency, recovered since January 1, an increase in passengers has been noted. In the first four months of this year, 9,708 passengers have been counted, 31.6% more than the same period in 2023.