Irish families with holiday homes on the Costa del Sol have been dismayed by the recent decision by Cityjet to suspend the only scheduled service to Malaga from Ireland. Cityjet has been operating the route four times per week since 1997, and it has been one of its most successful to date.
A Cityjet spokesperson said the service would resume in the New Year. However, no bookings were being taken at the moment. Cityjet was acquired by Air France some months ago and Air France Dublin has received many inquiries from travellers about the suspension of the service.
With 300 days of sunshine a year, over 40 golf courses - with 12 of the most famous championship courses in Europe - and a top-quality lifestyle, the Costa del Sol is the choice of thousands of Irish people who own holiday homes in the Malaga/Marbella area.
At the Homes Overseas show held in the RDS last weekend, estate agents were mystified by the news. David Copestake of David Philips Overseas, said: "That's utterly ridiculous, you would have thought that they would be operating more flights by now. The Irish market for property overseas is growing rapidly, and buyers are eager to purchase." He suggested that Easyjet, which operates a low-cost service from Luton to Malaga, should perhaps consider routes from Ireland.
Paula Ryan, a regular visitor to a friend's property in Marbella, said: "it can be a nightmare getting there. Last week, because of business commitments I could only travel on Wednesday, which meant travelling via East Midlands with British Midland at a cost of £370. The only consolation is that the flights are scheduled."
Another regular Malaga traveller said there was now no scheduled carrier on the route despite the enormous demand. Many people travelled via Barcelona with Iberia, but unless you booked months ahead it was impossible to get seats. Likewise via Brussels with Sabena.
Ian Arnott of Marbella Homes said he had already talked to people that day who were concerned about access to their homes overseas. Paul Wilkinson of the same agency said: "it could be a real problem for people, especially business people who make decisions later and who like to be able to use their properties for weekends and short stays". Based on what they both have seen in the market to date, they believe there is a requirement for a daily scheduled service to Malaga. "If access were easier, more people would use the service and consequently their homes abroad," said Mr Arnott.
Mr Wilkinson went on to say that homes for sale on the Costa del Sol are now stretching from Marbella to Sotogrande, bringing clients nearer to Gibraltar, where there is an airport. Monarch Airlines in the UK is already using it. He believes people would be prepared to pay for the convenience, and said the infrastructure of ownership in the Costa del Sol had not caught up yet on the market.
Sean Collins of Holidays Homes Abroad, a company within the Sherry FitzGerald Group, was puzzled by the Cityjet decision. "Why an airline would pull from a route that was getting full loads has no logic." He said there was plenty of access at the moment on charter flights. However, he did agree that unless you plan in advance you are unlikely to get seats in high season.
According to Ryanair's Michael Cawley, "the Spanish market is not fully deregulated, and airports in southern Spain are too expensive. Ryanair would prefer to pursue better opportunities elsewhere."
