After two editions and several years of being the city to visit for sailing fans around the globe, Valencia will not host the 34th edition of the America’s Cup.
Title holders BMW Oracle have announced that the regional capital had been crossed off the list of candidates to hold the international sailing regatta in 2013.
San Francisco (USA) is now the clear favourite, along with an unnamed Italian city who are now the sole two competitors for the rights to host the contest in three years’ time.
The opening of the new Castellon Airport still appears to be some way off. The president of the society Aerocas, Carlos Fabra, has already announced that there will be an inauguration in January before the elections, although the start-up will not occur until the summer. Work on the airport is 97% complete according to the developers, but there are still various outstanding requirements that threaten it opening for summer 2011. The main obstacle being permission from the Spanish development ministry for flights to be allowed to take off and land from the Vilanova runways. Other outstanding points include issues of security and border control and access with the A-7 motorway scheduled to reach the site before the end of the year.
The lack of a definite opening date is leading to problems securing contracts with airlines to fly there for next summer. While Reus and Manises are already offering special deals for next year’s holiday season, Costa Azahar companies are not taking the risk of promising anything as the completion dates are still unknown. The airport directors are holding regular talks with various airline companies, predominantly the low-cost operators, which is the same market coveted by its competitor Reus. So far only the Valencian operator Air Nostrum has confirmed its presence, Romanian Blue Air has shown some interest and negotiations continue with Air Berlin, Ryanair and Vueling.
However Paul Caspers, deputy director for Spain and Portugal, Air Berlin, said that the German airline does not plan to fly to the airport in Castellon in 2011. “As we are a private company I can speak my mind. It’s not about having an airport, but being a desirable destination in the tourist markets. An airport itself is of little use if it’s not for a tourist destination. We find it easier to bring people to a destination, if it has an airport, but an airport does not generate a destination. They should make an effort to promote Castellon as a tourist destination. ”
The project began 13 years ago and the first stone was laid in 2004 but while Castellon has taken five years to construct at a cost of 155 million euros, the new airport at Lleida in Cataluyna has taken two years and cost 95 million.
Another day in paradise 