Category: Transport
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Latest Gran Canaria News, Views & Sunshine
The Canary Guide #WeekendTips 24-26 March 2023
Plum tree blossoming in Tenteniguada March 2023
It’s the last weekend of March already and Spring is here; winter is behind us and the summer weather is already hotting up on Gran Canaria. The hillsides are in full bloom, particularly up in the mountain summits; it’s Carnival Weekend in Arguineguín and the last of the carnival festivities for this year are happening around the island. With summer just around the corner, clocks Spring forward this Saturday and Sunday night when 1am becomes 2am 🕐. On the north of the island, one of the biggest seasonal trade fairs is happening, gathering produce and people from 11 municipalities, ENORTE will be celebrated in the historic Rum capital of the island, Arucas, this weekend.
Gran Canaria Weather: Temperatures of 31ºC in the shade and slight calima as we head towards a warm spring weekend
Its a perfect Gran Canaria springtime weekend ahead with light calima sands blowing in from the Sahara, temperatures in the shade of 31ºC, light breezes and blue skies. Remember too the clocks spring forward by an hour this weekend.
Illegal Trafficking: President of Gran Canaria “Animal Welfare” Association Investigated for Falsifying Export Certificates and Suspected Mistreatment of Animals
A rogue individual, living on Gran Canaria and operating an unlicensed and unregistered facility supposedly dedicated to animal welfare, has been referred by the Guardia Civil to the Canarian justice system for illegal trafficking and documentary falsification of certificates required for the safe transport of animals into the UK. The operation, she has run for nearly a decade, is suspected of collecting around a quarter of a million euros for this activity in just one 18 month period, keeping large numbers of unregistered animals in inadequate conditions, and illegally transporting animals from the island, without proper zoosanitary checks, across Europe by air, sea and land, destined for recipients in the United Kingdom.
Between January 2021 and October 2022, the investigated Association irregularly exported 482 dogs to the United Kingdom
The president of the Association falsified export certificates and presented them to the UK authorities.
Leaked documents raise further concerns about welfare in proposed Las Palmas octopus farm that would be first of its kind in the world
The proposal by Spanish multinational Nueva Pescanova to create the world’s first commercial octopus farm on Gran Canaria has generated a great deal of controversy. The company aims to produce one million octopuses a year for consumption worldwide, three times the number currently caught in the wild by Spanish fisheries. However, the project has been condemned by many scientists who regard the proposed method of killing the octopuses as “cruel”. Confidential documents obtained by the BBC reveal that the creatures would be killed using water as cold as -3°C, which many experts believe would result in a slow and stressful death.
Three Men Detained, without bail, for An Alleged Gang Rape, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Hotel
Three men were arrested and charged with sexual assault after having allegedly gang-raped a young woman in a hotel, in the Santa Catalina area of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Thursday, March 16, 2023. The woman, who is 21 years old, reported the incident at the hotel’s reception, claiming that she had been raped by the men and could not remember anything after accepting a drink from them.
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Regular resident bus travel to be FREE – 100% subsidised – in the Canary Islands from Jan 1
Spain’s central government in Madrid, it was announced this Monday, has accepted 100% free resident travel on Canary Islands urban and interurban buses from January 1. The regionalist CC party have been negotiating with and socialist PSOE government since October culminating in an agreement to support the central Government’s 2023 budget in exchange for the 100% subsidy for passenger and freight transport, and a specific plan for La Palma.
Price of bus passes discounted 50% for all Canary Islands’ residents
The Gran Canaria Single Transport Authority (AUTGC) have been able to lower the prices of public transport cards (bonos) on the Island, thanks to a 50% subsidy from the Government of Spain for bus transport on Gran Canaria.
The state contribution was raised from 30% to 50% after the signing of a collaboration protocol carried out last Monday by the President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, and the Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, in the presence of the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Housing, Sebastián Franquis, in Madrid.
“Thanks to this measure by the Government of Pedro Sánchez, which is going to allocate €24 million so that all citizens of the Canary Islands can acquire transport vouchers at half price, from 1st of September, in the case of Gran Canaria, at a cost of €10 for retirees and young people, and €14 for other residents, that is, they will be able to travel without limit throughout the island for less than €0.30 and €o.46 per day respectively. This is possible thanks to the effort that the PSOE has made to ease the expenditure of families and alleviate inflation. Mobility is the best social policy, it is a central policy of the action of the Government of Spain, the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo de Gran Canaria”, stated vice-president Miguel Ángel Pérez del Pino adding that “curiously, those who say that the PSOE in Madrid treats the citizens of the Canary Islands as second class citizens, are the ones who had exorbitant transport prices during the 26 years they governed”, in reference to the right of centre regionalist party, Coalición Canaria, who have been critical in recent weeks that the Canary Islands did not benefit from the 100% reduction in train travel enjoyed by the rest of mainland Spain, on account of the archipelago having no train lines.
You can recharge your card at your municipality’s sales network (sale points by municipalities https://bit.ly/3cCObzg) and if possible not do it at the San Telmo Station to avoid crowds. In addition, you have the On-Line recharge available at https://carnets.gexco.es
Mogán’s CIUCA town council approve doubling taxi fares and prohibiting unattended towels on the beaches or boats within 200m of the shore
A rather unwelcome set of new measures has been announced by those fun folks still running Mogán Town Council this week, making clear that they will not allow parasols, umbrellas, tables or towels to be used to reserve space on the beaches, for long periods in the absence of their owners. The representatives of the people of Mogán have decided such items left unattended will be considered abandoned, and may be removed by municipal workers.
British Foreign Office continue to exclude Canary Islands from their advice against travel to Spain, the Dutch can now travel to the islands too.
The Dutch can travel here from Saturday. Spain’s Ministry of Foreign affairs are set to allow travel from the UK into Spain without tests from May 20. The UK have separated their advice for Canary Islands from the rest of Spain, it is thought in preparation to soon allow return travel from the UK without quarantine. Right now Spain is on the UK Amber list, which means travel is allowed after Monday, but requires 5-10 days of quarantine and negative PCR results.
#WeCrossMountains
The British FCDO (Foreign Office) made a slight change to their information published on the main gov.uk website travel recommendations for Spain advising “against all but essential travel to Spain, including the Balearic Islands but excluding the Canary Islands, based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks.”
For the moment however it still remains true that only legal residents or people travelling for essential reasons can enter Spain, with tourism still prohibited, though this week Spain’s tourism minister has expressed confidence that is soon about to change.
The UK Foreign Affairs office has made clear that they support that “there are restrictions and curfews that vary between regions“, but recommend “before you travel,” that travellers familiarise themselves with “Spain’s current entry restrictions and requirements.” They make clear also that “these may change with little warning.” warning Brits to “Monitor this advice for the latest updates and stay in contact with your travel provider.”
Starting this Monday, May 17, the UK will open its borders and allow citizens to travel to 12 destinations, without the need for mandatory quarantine upon return. Though Spain is not currently on this list, the country is marked on the UK amber list, which will allow travel to the UKs favourite holiday destinations, but with the requirement to take a test and quarantine at home, on return to Britain, for a minimum of five days, ir they are negative on two PCR tests, which they must pay for themselves, or ten days if they choose not to take the second test.
Spain is negotiating with the United Kingdom for the reactivation of tourism, having blocked incoming tourists in the face of the pandemic, and now the infection rates have significantly dropped, Reyes Maroto, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism, has made clear that she is working hard to resume the tourist flows between both countries.
“We are reviewing recommendation 912 (regarding the temporary restriction of non-essential travel within the EU) and it is being negotiated in the framework of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will be approve new guidance on May 20 to allow the British to come to Spain without PCR”, she asserted last Tuesday, following Spain’s Council of Ministers meeting in Madrid. In addition, she said “we must offer certainty” to the British to come emphasising that it is essential “to continue lowering the accumulated incidence and increase vaccinations” if Spain wants to be included on the UK Green List.
Maroto has said that there is the will of the Government and the CCAA to control the pandemic, “something that will allow British tourism to reactivate.” In addition, “the purchase of 17 million doses of Pfizer accelerates the vaccination plan”, something that has been cataloged as key to ” give confidence and plan trips .” He has ruled that the massive purchase of vaccines “will make it possible to show that we are open, that we are going to be a safe destination and that we are looking forward to receiving them.”
Netherlands will allow travel to Canary Islands from Saturday
The Government of the Netherlands have this Friday announced that they will allow, as of Saturday 15 May, Dutch holidaymakers to travel to the islands – both the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands – without having to undergo an active covid diagnostic test or quarantine upon return to the country.
Holland has been one of the most restrictive countries when it comes to putting limits on travel and until now forced passengers who returned from the Canary Islands to a test carried out four hours before the flight departure and a 15-day quarantine, which “has slowed down” many tourists, according to the vice president of the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs of Las Palmas (FEHT), Tom Smulders.
Following this week’s successful test group of more than 80 Dutch tourists selected to visit Gran Canaria, to demonstrate the island’s “Safe Tourism” credentials the Dutch Government have given their approval to reopen summer travel, though there are still restrictions in place for the Spanish mainland.
Dutch tourists will not have to quarantine or present a negative PCR upon return from the Balearic and Canary Islands. “I am pleased to announce that from tomorrow Dutch tourism will be open to the Balearic and Canary Islands,” wrote the Dutch Ambassador, Jan Versteeg on Twitter.
It is a pleasure to announce that from tomorrow Dutch tourism opens to the Balearic and Canary Islands. Travelers from the Islands will no longer have to submit a negative PCR test, or undergo a quarantine upon return to Flag of Netherlands#buenasnoticias #turismo pic.twitter.com/2NCg6kV2yZ
— Jan Versteeg????? (@JanVersteegBZ) May 14, 2021
Dutch tourism has been one of the source markets that has remained most constant, even despite the pandemic restrictions, almost 6,000 dutch tourists have visited the islands during the first three months of this year, similar to the amount of British who have also managed to visit during the first quarter. In the first 3 months of 2019, 4.5 million Brits had visited the islands along with almost 600,000 Dutch.
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Next Tuesday new Spanish speed limits are due to come into force
Next Tuesday new Spanish speed limits are due to come into force. Last November 2020, the Spanish Government announced the adoption of new measures and reforms in traffic regulations, aiming to reduce the accident rate, particularly among users of roads presenting greater risk.
Changes come into force on Tuesday 11 May, as per Royal Decree 970/2020 amending Article 50 of the General Traffic Regulations to establish new speed limits in urban areas.
The royal decree states that the new Spanish speed limits are to come into effect six months after their publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE), which took place on November 11, 2020. Therefore, speed changes on urban roads will become effective on Tuesday May 11.
The new general limits depend on the type of road, 20 km/h on single carriageway roads with a pavement sidewalk platform; 30 km/h on one-lane roads per direction of movement and 50 km/h on roads with two or more lanes per direction and crossings.
The regulations state that the lanes reserved for the circulation of some drivers, or for the exclusive use of public transport, will not be counted, and vehicles carrying dangerous goods must now circulate at a maximum of 40 km/h on crossings and roads with two or more lanes in each direction. We understand these rules apply to urban areas and zones with special precautions.
The royal decree also establishes that generic speeds may be lowered by a Municipal Authority using specific signalling. Each Town Hall Council may also increase the speed on roads with a single lane, in each direction, up to a maximum speed of 50 km/h, provided that it is specifically signalled.
As for conventional roads, cars and motorcycles may not exceed the speed limits on conventional roads by anything more than 20 km/h when they overtake other vehicles. The DGT reminded of the new limits through their Twitter account last month.
A partir del 11 de mayo, cambios #velocidad en #viaurbana
?La #velocidad genérica en vías urbanas de 1 carril por sentido será de 30 km/h y 20 km/h en las plataformas únicas.
?En travesías y resto de vías urbanas seguirá siendo de 50 km/h. #MasSeguridad #MejorMasDespacio pic.twitter.com/2s5IICDHsj
— Dir. Gral. Tráfico (@DGTes) April 5, 2021
Other measures adopted include an increase from 3 to 6 penalty points for using a mobile phone manually (without hands-free), as well as the increase from 3 to 4 points for not using a seat belt, helmet, or other protection elements required by law.
The Minister of the Interior highlighted also that the carrying of radar detection devices in a vehicle will now mean an automatic fine of €500 and the loss of three points from the driver’s license. At present, there are only fines for using such devices while driving, but according to the minister “it has been shown that, ahead of a road control, drivers deactivate them to prevent traffic agents from being able to prove their use, so this reform will now sanction their mere possession.
In addition, the reform includes a new very serious offence, defined as “committing fraud in driving tests using unauthorised intercom devices”. In this case the penalty will be €500 and banned for 6 months from being able to complete the driving test.
More information can be found via the excellent English speaking N332
Don’t forget the changes in some speed limits in Spain from next Tuesday! ? ?
SPEED LIMITS: On May 11th, 2021 speed…
Posted by N332 on Wednesday, 5 May 2021
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Airline News: New routes are starting to be announced for Summer 2021, flying to Gran Canaria and the Islands, across Spain and the EU
As the long awaited first steps towards rebuilding tourism and international travel are looking ever more likely, so recent airline news announcing new routes to Gran Canaria, to the islands and throughout Spain and Europe, has included many offering very flexible terms to try to encourage confidence in bookings. With luck a cautious start to the summer could well lead to a bumper winter season for this destination.
SmartLynx Airlines has announced that it will operate flights, for TUI fly Deutschland, to Gran Canaria from Basel twice a week, and from Saarbrücken once a week, between May and October 2021.In addition, during the period from October to November they will also fly from Munich, Düsseldorf, Hannover and Hamburg.
Ryanair have announced a new route that will link Gran Canaria with Ireland’s Shannon airport, with a direct flight every Saturday, starting July 10. This connection will become the second direct route other than to Dublin, to add to its 2021 summer calendar to the Islands, claiming more than 700 weekly flights across Spain, on 121 routes in total, including 22 new routes from Palma, Ibiza and Menorca.
And local airline Canaryfly, who operate regular flights between each of the Canary Islands, have announced they will be offering some great deals. If you are a resident of the islands, you will find extra special deals, starting from €5 one way + taxes from Gran Canaria to Tenerife, Lanzarote and Fuenteventera. Return flights roughly costing €17, with taxes included. What a perfect way to explore our neighbouring islands, before all the tourists start to return en masse this summer!
Regional airline Binter announced 5 new weekly international routes, earlier this month, connecting Gran Canaria with Lille, Marseille and Toulouse (France) and from Turin and Venice (Italy), as well a a new route to Tarragona on the mainland, to add to their 26 other national destinations.
Vueling have also announced routes, in recent weeks, between Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, Seville, Malaga, Vigo, Santiago, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Paris, Rome, Milan, Brussels and London-Gatwick.
And Air France will inaugurate this summer season the several new routes between Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Paris-Charles de Gaulle, as well as between Ibiza and Paris-Orly, with plans to operate from ten Spanish airports and complement the offer in Spain, through its partner KLM, which will also offer flights to Amsterdam this summer from the airports of Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Ibiza, Madrid, Malaga and Valencia.
Airline News with flexible terms
As part of their commercial policies, several airlines are currently offering 100% modifiable tickets for travel throughout 2021.
Allowing customers to modify their reservation for free, or get a refundable voucher if they no longer wish to travel. If the flight is canceled by the airline, customers can choose to postpone their trip, request a full refund for their ticket or obtain a voucher, also refundable if it is not used.
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DGC, the Digital Green Certificate, should be up and running by end of June, to facilitate mobility and guarantee public health protection
The Digital Green Certificate (DGC) will facilitate mobility at a European Union (EU) level, guarantee the protection of public health and gradually allow the return of safe economic activity, said Alfredo González, Spain’s National Health Secretary-General for Digital Health, Information and Innovation, at a Moncloa press briefing explaining that the Government of Spain and the regional governments have started to work on introducing the Digital Green Certificate, this summer, to comply with the deadlines established by EU ambassadors, who last week agreed a mandate for negotiations within the European Parliament, and the proposals for a Digital Green Certificate system to be created.
This certificate is aimed at facilitating safe and free movement, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, by providing proof that a person has either been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or has recovered from the disease. Some have expressed concern about such a system, though it is not to be mandatory, as it could lead to a two speed system, which may discriminate against those not yet vaccinated, or who wish to refuse the jab. Others have pointed out that this could well be used as a blueprint for an EU-wide electronic identity system. For most, however, this is seen as a positive step towards reopening international borders and restoring some freedom of movement.
The European Parliament is expected to adopt a formal position, at their plenary on 26-29 April. Inter-institutional negotiations will then start as soon as possible thereafter. EU member states have underlined their commitment to have the framework ready by this summer, 2021.
The Government of Spain’s intention, said González, is to introduce the Digital Green Certificate in June so that it can be up-and-running before July, and fully functioning for the summer season.
Spain, and The Canary Islands, are already using several information systems that favour the DGC – REGVACU (Information System for monitoring vaccination), SERLAB (State Laboratory Results System) and Spain Travel Health (SpTH control form and QR Code).
González pointed to the important step taken last Tuesday through the establishment of a common position agreed by EU governments on the draft regulation saying “A new phase of negotiations now begins at the European Parliament, with the horizon of approving the regulation in June”
Vaccine passports, officially known as “COVID Status Certificates”, are being trialed at major sporting events this month in the UK, with the hope that mass events can reopen soon as safely as possible, say The BBC. “Covid certification – including proof of a negative test – is already part of international travel, the government said. It expects this to continue and is looking at ways of making it possible to show such information digitally.” this could provide a model for a future British version of Europe’s new DGC.
The Digital Green Vaccination Certificate
Based on current data protection rules and timely reporting to the Spanish Data Protection Agency, the main characteristics of the Digital Green Certificate are simplicity and interoperability throughout the EU, free of charge and universal.
An individual digital certificate will be created through a QR code, which will provide information on whether the holder has been vaccinated against COVID-19, has a negative diagnostic test and certify whether or not they have already had, and recovered, from the disease.
The Digital Green Certificate will facilitate free movement in the EU, “but will not limit the mobility” of those who do not hold a certificate, and “will respect, in any event, data protection, safety and privacy”, remarked the Secretary-General for Digital Health, Information and Innovation, Alfredo González.
“This is not a passport or a travel document, nor is it a pre-requisite for travelling”, but it is “a mechanism that facilitates mobility”, stressed the Secretary-General, while emphasising that the possibility exists to extend the model for use with compatible Certificates issued by third countries.
Should the UK decide to issue their own specific version, the Digital Green Certificate is expected to integrate with their system too
Introduction in Spain
This is a process of “great complexity that requires full coordination, as we are witnessing at present”, Gonzales pointed out, between the Ministry of Health and the regional governments, including the involvement of the Ministries of Industry, Trade and Tourism, of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, and of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, along with other agents such as airlines.
The regional governments will be tasked with issuing, stamping and handing over the Certificates in electronic format (QR Wallet, PDF with QR) or on paper. The ministerial department will issue Certificates in special cases, and offer the necessary technical coordination and support necessary to the regional authorities. Laboratories will also participate, tasked with facilitating the information so that the Certificates can be issued.
Meetings are scheduled to be held with all the regional governments, throughout Spain, along with bilateral sessions with each of them, to have the systems ready within the scheduled deadlines. Furthermore, the Inter-territorial Council of the Spanish National Health System will be informed in a timely manner, of the project’s progress, both at an EU level and regarding its rollout in Spain.
The European Commission presented the model of the Digital Green Vaccination Certificate on 17 March and, since then, the Member States have been working hard on the legal and technical aspects of the model.
The regulation is currently passing through the various EU institutions, and is expected to be approved in the month of June so that the Certificate can be operational by the end of that month.
Certificates for people travelling to Spain
As regards the validation and acceptance of the Certificates for people travelling to Spain, the main responsibility will be taken on by the Ministry of Health, through Border Health, which will help develop the SPTH (Spain Travel Health) system.
At the end of the process, travellers may opt for the traditional system (SpTH introduced back in June 2020) or for the new system (SPTH+), providing the Digital Green Vaccination Certificate in this application. In the latter case, verification will be made upon arrival and transit will be much quicker and simpler for the traveller, while maintaining the utmost health and safety.
Gran Canaria became the first major tourism destination in the world to announce trials for a prototype of this type of “safe tourism” digital certificate in Summer 2020, in association with UNWTO, the UN World Travel Organisation, when tourist flights briefly re-opened following the first wave of the pandemic, and the UNWTO president flew to the island to certify the protocols put in place by The Canary Islands. The new EU framework for the Digital Green Pass follows a very similar line.
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Binter adds new direct weekly air routes, connecting Canary Islands with French, Italian and Spanish cities, among 26 other destinations beyond the archipelago
The Canary Islands airline, Binter have announced that from July it will open new international routes operating direct links with five destinations in Italy and France. The homegrown airline, which started with inter-island flights, expands their connections with regular flights to the European airports of Toulouse, Marseille and Lille, in France, and Turin and Venice, in Italy.
Binter will maintain the routes to mainland Spain they currently operate and, in addition, this summer will open a new route with Tarragona, expanding their offer to ten direct flight routes between the mainland and the Canary Islands.
The announcement was made at a press conference last week with Rodolfo Núñez, president of Binter, and Juan Ramsden, the general coordinator of the company, together with the president of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Housing, Sebastián Franquis, and the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Yaiza Castilla, who emphasised the great effort that the airline has made to improve connectivity with the Archipelago and the new possibilities offered by the incorporation of five new jet aircraft to its fleet.
Núñez highlighted the importance of Canarian companies firmly committing to recovery on the Islands, promoting all those initiatives that are within their reach to achieve that goal. “This new international leap represents a great challenge for Binter in a very complex context, but we continue to invest in the connectivity of the entire archipelago, of the eight islands, following the strategic plan that we drew up before the pandemic. In the future, if all goes well, and according to plan, we will continue to put more frequencies and perhaps more destinations, both from Tenerife and from Gran Canaria, and without ruling out direct flights to, or from, other islands. The important thing is to sell all the Canary Islands as a whole ”, he pointed out.
Juan Ramsden encouraged political representatives to continue working to advance the vaccination process and highlighted the importance of developing, in the short term, the European health passport, which will allow safe mobility for all travellers. “It is necessary for anyone who wishes to travel by plane to another country or region to know that they can do so in complete safety, without obstacles, or complex regulations,” he said.
On Binter routes there will now be 94 direct weekly connections and more than 600,000 seats per year, between the archipelago and Spanish and European destinations, operated by the Canarian airline. These flights will be carried out using five new Embraer aircraft, model E195-E2, the quietest, cleanest and most efficient single-aisle jet aircraft in its class; with a configuration that allows more space between rows and the comfort of not having a seat in the middle. To this are added other differential advantages, such as its characteristic quality on-board service, which includes courtesy catering during the flight.
Recently, the company has been recognised, for constant renewal of its fleet, by the Swiss airlines services provider Ch-Aviation, for currently having one of the youngest fleets in Europe, with an average age of 4.8 years for its 28 aircraft.
Ángel Víctor Torres, president of the Canary Islands, referred to Binter’s presentation as “a day for good news” and stressed the value of this airline’s decision to expand air connectivity with the Islands. Through the incorporation of new national and international routes, a project, he said, that is relevant “for Canarians and for tourism in our Archipelago.”
18 direct weekly flights between the Canary Islands and these new European destinations
Binter has scheduled 18 weekly flights with the new European destinations, so that most will have connections two days a week.
The connections with Lille will be on Mondays and Thursdays with departure at 10.45 am from Gran Canaria and return at 4:40 pm, with arrival time in the Canary Islands at 8 pm. Toulouse will be linked on Tuesdays and Saturdays with a very similar schedule, departing at 10.30 am on Tuesdays and at 11.00 am on Saturdays from the Canary Islands and return at 3.45 pm, or 4.15 pm on Saturdays. The route with Marseille, there will be on Fridays with departure from the Islands at 10:30 am and return at 4:10 pm, to land in the Canary Islands at 7:00 pm.
Both Italian destinations will have two weekly links. On Mondays and Wednesdays there will be flights to Venice, departing from the Canary Islands at 10.20 a.m. and returning at 4.35 p.m., to reach the Archipelago at 8.15 p.m. Turin will be connected on Tuesdays and Saturdays with departure at 11.00 a.m. from Gran Canaria Airport on Tuesdays and at 10.30 a.m. on Saturdays and return at 4:45 p.m. or 4:20 p.m., with arrival time on the island at 8:05 p.m. or 7:40 p.m. .
Free connections with other islands and launch promotion
On all these international and national routes, Binter are offering passengers the advantage of travelling, at no additional cost, to and from any of the Canary Islands, by being able to make the inter-island jump free of charge in the case of connecting flights, taking advantage of the 170 daily inter-island flights that the airline already operates between the islands.
Binter are launching their new connections with France, Italy and Tarragona with a promotion that will allow customers to purchase tickets at very attractive prices.
Tickets for these destinations can now be purchased through the company’s usual sales channels: www.bintercanarias.com, the Binter app, by telephone on 922/928 32 77 00, through travel agencies and their offices at airports.
Investing in the external connectivity of the Islands
Binter began operating in the Canary archipelago in 1989 to offer connections between all the islands with a clear focus on public service.
In 2005, they also began operating outside the Canary Islands with the aim of offering direct connections to other markets, a program that has grown over the years, with flight routes to Portugal, reaching Lisbon and Madeira; Africa, linking the Canary Islands with destinations such as Casablanca, Marrakech, Agadir, Dakhla, El Aaiún, Nouakchott, Dakar, Banjul and the island of Sal.
In 2018, the airline began regular operations with Spanish national destinations, first to Mallorca and Vigo and, later, to Pamplona, Zaragoza, Murcia, Santander, Vitoria, Asturias and Cádiz (Jerez de la Frontera). In 2021, direct flights with Tarragona are to be incorporated.
Added to all these routes this summer are the Italian cities of Turin and Venice, and the French cities of Marseille, Toulouse and Lille, with which Binter connects the Canary Islands and a total of 26 destinations beyond the archipelago.
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The Canary News
