ARCHIVED - Passengers at Corvera airport 95 per cent down in November

90 per cent of November international air travel in Spain lost to the pandemic

The figures at the Murcia airport in Corvera illustrate the decimation of international flights

The dramatic effect of the coronavirus pandemic on air travel throughout the world, and in Spain in particular, is again illustrated by the latest monthly report published this week by Aena, the data showing that the number of passengers on international flights landing and taking off at Spanish airports was 90.2 per cent lower in November 2020 than in the same month last year.

Just 1.16 million people flew into or out of Spain during the month, and with the number of passengers on domestic flights falling by 73.3 per cent to 1.73 million the overall total of 2.89 million was 84.1 per cent lower than in November 2019. With one month of 2020 to come, the drop in passenger number so far this year amounts to 71.9 per cent, and although in general the decreases are slightly less extreme at airports in the Canaries the decimation of air travel and international tourism has been close to absolute.

The Region of Murcia International Airport in Corvera provides as graphic an illustration of the effect of Covid-19 as any, with the month of November seeing a total of just 1,966 passengers pass through the terminal building, according to Aena. November is never one of the busiest months of the year, of course, as it coincides with the beginning of winter flight schedules, but nonetheless last year there were over 40,000 passengers taking off and landing at Corvera during the month.

The figure for November is -95.2% down on the same month last year and travellers will be unsurprised by the figure given that it has been extremely difficult to book a flight to the airport this autumn and that British passengers, who account for the majority of passengers at the airport, were also subject to an international travel ban during the month.

The cumulative total of passengers at Corvera after 11 months of this year stands at 215,599, and of course any hopes that the 2019 total of just over 1.1 million could at least be matched in 2020 were effectively dashed in March when the pandemic reached Spain.

Alicante airport is faring slightly better, and in November processed 112,618 passengers, but this figure is still -88% down on November last year and the cumulative figure at Alicante is -74.5% down on the 2019 figures.

This autumn and winter passengers attempting to fly to Corvera airport are largely finding it impossible to book a flight on a route that suits them and are being forced to book via Alicante, although this is still a frustratingly precarious process as flights are regularly cancelled or re-scheduled by the airlines.

In spite of regular rumours being posted on local social media, the airport is not closed; just not very active!

The return of significant levels of activity to the new airport is now dependent on international air travel being made feasible again at some point after the coronavirus vaccines become available, but for the moment international travel to Spain is being severely limited by the insistence that incoming passengers must provide a PCR test (or equivalent) upon entry.

This week the Spanish language media has highlighted the problems this is also causing for Spanish nationals trying to get home for the festive season given the high cost of the PCR test; an average of 120 pounds sterling per passenger makes a trip back to see the family very expensive, adding 500 pounds to the cost of a visit for a family of four.

The departure of the UK from the EU in January looks set to further complicate travel to Spain after the festive season; should the level of coronavirus cases in the UK remain high then UK travellers could well find that they are refused entry to not only Spain, but all of Europe as once the UK leaves the EU then UK nationals will also lose their right to enter EU borders should the current coronavirus retrictions remain in place in January.

Hopefully, the beginning of the vaccination programmes in both the UK and EU will help to restore confidence in international travel and facilitate the removal of the restrictions which are currently affecting air travel so badly.