EASYCRUISE COULD SAIL IN TO GIBRALTAR

Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who pioneered cheap flights in Europe with EasyJet said he believed that the landing fees at Gibraltar?s ruled out the airport as a destination. He was speaking during the MedCruise conference held in Gibraltar and stated that the Rock?s airport was too expensive when you had much cheaper Málaga nearby.

EasyJet?s currently flies daily from nine British cities and four in mainland Europe to Málaga. Whilst Gibraltar seemingly stands no chance of winning any flights the close proximity of Easyjet could encourage EasyCruise to use the Rock?s port as a stopping point. EasyCruise was launched last year and operates on radically different ?no frills? basis to the traditional cruise industry.

EasyCruise attracts a younger clientele and is good news for destination ports, as the vessels usually stay overnight. With few amenities on board cruise passengers spend more time and cash ashore. The attraction of Gibraltar to EasyCruise is its close proximity to Málaga with its extensive cheap flight connections.