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ARCHIVED - Malaga airport beats Seville to win direct New York connection
The Ministry of Tourism and Mayor of Seville are both coming under fire as the Costa del Sol celebrates the news
The decision of United Airlines to relaunch a direct flight between New York and Malaga has resulted in no end of political mud slinging between Seville and the Costa del Sol, with Seville mayor Antonio Muñoz accusing the Ministry of Tourism of “dynamiting the work” he has been doing for two years to establish a direct connection with the US.
Defending the choice of Malaga airport over Seville, the Minister of Tourism, Arturo Bernal, insisted that the return of United is “great news” for Andalucia as a whole and the destination isn’t as important as it’s being made out to be, since tourists landing in the Costa del Sol will likely travel around to different towns and cities.
Far from being placated, Seville’s mayor has accused the Ministry of being biased in favour of Malaga and failing to respond to market demand. Seville is the most popular destination in Andalucia for travellers from North America, he reminded the government, and the second or third in Spain.
He also insisted that Seville “will continue to work with or without the Board” to achieve direct flights from the United States, with a New York connection at the top of the list, although other locations like Chicago, California, Miami and Florida are also being looked at.
Muñoz himself has come under fire from within his own province, with many politicians blaming his inaction for losing the US connection for Seville.
“It is not a problem of the Junta de Andalucía. The problem is that Seville does not do its homework, they do not know how to position this city at an international level. When Seville reaches the sites, Malaga has already been working for a number of months or years. That is the difference, the mayor of Seville is not up to the task either now as mayor or before as a delegate for Tourism and Urban Planning,” councillor José Luis Sanz scathingly remarked.
The New York-Malaga route will kick off with three weekly flights from June 2 next year.
Image: Pixabay
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