On July 1, 100 daily flights between the islands will be activated
The Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands, led by Sebastián Franquis, and the Canarian airline Binter, have agreed to launch the progressive recovery of air connectivity prior to the health crisis caused by
COVID-19 and by That the company plans to
expand to 100 in the next 20 days the flights between islands. Binter, in coordination with the Government of the Canary Islands, has programmed two new increases in its flight scheduling with the aim of continuing to re-establish air connectivity, recover air routes with all the Islands and boost passenger demand once the restrictions on travel within the Canary Islands.
The airline, the main provider of this transport service in the Archipelago, thus intends, together with the Regional Executive, to promote the socioeconomic recovery of the islands by promoting inter-island mobility and, therefore, tourism at a time when the sector needs all possible support.
The first increase in connections, after 22, new frequencies that begin to operate as of today, will take place on Monday,
June 15 with the incorporation of two new aircraft into operation, which will add up to a total of 8 aircraft. In this way, Binter will offer 84 daily flights in the Canary Islands compared to the 62 that it has begun to fly today
June 10, recovering, once again, interrupted connections such as the one that connects La Gomera with the Tenerife North airport and the direct one between Gran Canaria and Tenerife South.
Additionally, starting Wednesday,
July 1, another 2 new aircraft will be added to the fleet that operates between the islands, reaching a total of 10 ATRs that will allow the airline to operate
100 daily flights only in the Canary Islands, reinforcing itself significant connectivity between all islands. From that date, the airports of Gran Canaria and Tenerife North will have an average of 20 daily connections and four with Tenerife South. Between Gran Canaria and Lanzarote an average of 16 daily flights will be operated,
15 with Fuerteventura and four with La Palma. Between Tenerife North Airport and La Palma Airport, there will be an average of 16 daily flights, eight with Lanzarote,
six with Fuerteventura, four with La Gomera and four with El Hierro.
This expansion is possible after the BOE today publishes a resolution of the General Directorate of Aviation, at the request of the Canary Islands Government, to nullify the 70% reduction imposed on inter-island flights in March to reduce the spread of contagion on the islands due to the pandemic.
"The entire archipelago is already progressing in a coordinated way towards the new normality and that is why it is essential to recover the benefits and services that were affected during the health crisis by restrictions on mobility such as air connections between islands," explained counsellor Franquis. , “I want to thank Binter for the collaboration it has always shown during this period, in the first few weeks to limit connectivity to the basics, and right now for progressively increasing those connections and offering the citizens of the islands more facilities to move for work, health or to promote domestic tourism that will be essential in the economic revival of the sector. "
For his part, the General Coordinator of Binter, Juan Ramsden, has stated that "this significant increase in routes that we are undertaking in such a short time is a clear reflection of the company's real commitment to make it easier for the inhabitants of the Canary Islands to fly again with breadth of connections and maximum guarantees of sanitary security ”.
Fly safely
Since the start of the health crisis, Binter has implemented new protocols and procedures to guarantee the safety of passengers and company personnel, strictly complying with all the guidelines set by the authorities and by the European and Spanish Aviation Safety agencies. (EASA and AESA), as is the
obligation to travel with a mask that covers the nose and mouth.
Some of the measures to be highlighted to continue increasing health safety on board are carrying out a step-by-step boarding and disembarking process, the distribution of hydro-alcoholic wipes to all customers or the elimination of on-board service to reduce material handling. In addition, cleaning systems have been reinforced, adding new deep disinfections to those carried out between stopovers and disinfection after the end of daily operations to ensure thorough sanitation of the fleet.
Cabin air quality is guaranteed on all aircraft. In the case of ATRs, which fly at a lower level, the non-recirculating air conditioning system ensures that there is adequate circulation and constant air renewal through the intake of outside air.
The company has also implemented the measures proposed by the Group of Scientific Experts that advises the Government of the Canary Islands on issues related to
COVID-19, such as the
reservation of separate seats for people who are part of risk groups for the Coronavirus and has been equipped the crews with the necessary skills, capacities and equipment to guarantee the safety of all passengers and their proper care.
Courtesy of
Onda Fuerteventura.