Low fare airline Ryanair has told regional government in Valencia that it will close its base at Manises Airport if the regional tourism council refuse to give it the same economic aid that it is giving to Valencia-based airline Air Nostrum.

Meanwhile the 944,278 passengers that passed through Alicante Airport in September have sent it further up the Spanish airport league table into fifth place.

After announcing earlier in the month that the airport had forced its way into sixth place after jumping Tenerife Sur in the number of passengers it has handled up to the end of August, the unexpected rise in numbers last month has seen it surge above Las Palmas in Gran Canaria.

Airport operator Aena announced the news on Tuesday saying that passenger numbers had increased by almost eight points to 7,631,758 for the first nine months of the year, 37,700 more than La Palmas. The increasing number of domestic and international flights launched in recent weeks by several companies is expected to further boost passenger figures this winter.

The continuing faith that British tourists have in Benidorm has been highlighted again this week with the announcement that 65 per cent of all hotel and accommodation bookings during the low season have come from the UK.

A spokesman for the hotel sector said that many people from the UK made their bookings a year ago, long before the economic crisis began to bite and this is will prevent the tourism sector in the town from any undue suffering during the winter.
He added that prices for next summer had been all but frozen in order to encourage people to book their holidays early.

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BENITACHELL residents are bemused over the council’s decision to allow a developer to go ahead and carry out the necessary studies and prepare the dossiers that will lead to the presentation of the project to build a leisure harbour between Cala del Moraig and Cala de Llebeig.

Using its majority, the ruling Pidep party overruled the opposition who rejected the idea put forward by Real Club Náutico Pesquero y Deportivo de Benitachell. Sources at the town hall say the company has not presented any concrete plans for the project and has not said how it intends to carry it out or the scope of the environmental impact on the area.

Added to this, the whole Benitachell coastline comes under the protection of the European Union because it is classified as a place of community interest (Lugar de Interés Comunitario) and therefore development of the area is strictly prohibited.

Many residents are furious over the developments. Those using Cala del Moraig on Wednesday said that it was inconceivable for the council to consider allowing the destruction of the town’s only beach.

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