TRAVEL New flights from Knock to Barcelona

Barcelona­, it was the first time that we met


Anton McNulty

THE above lyrics to Freddie Mercury’s classic song Barcelona may well be playing in the minds of west of Ireland travellers en route to the famous Spanish city after Ireland West Airport Knock announced Reus-Barcelona as their latest destination.
A walk down Las Ramblas, a visit to the home of the current European Cup holders or a stroll along its world famous beaches are just some of the many attractions available to see in Barcelona which is the latest European destination on the Ireland West Airport Knock flight list.
Last week, Ryanair announced the new three times a week service from IWAK to the popular sun and city break destination of Reus-Barcelona, located 50 miles south of the Catalan capital.
The new service, which will commence on May 4, 2010, is the third scheduled European sun destination to be launched from IWAK but is the first to be connected to a major continental European city. From March 25, the twice weekly service to the Portugese resort of Faro will commence, and last year saw the launch of a twice weekly service to Alicante.
Barcelona is one of the most famous and historical cities in Europe and is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and has a number of designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of the most significant of these sites is the Sagrada Familia, the privately funded Roman Catholic Church that has been under construction since 1882 and is not expected to be completed until at least 2026.
Another part of Barcelona which is very popular with tourists is Las Ramblas, the 1.2km long tree-lined pedestrian mall in the centre of the city. It has been described by Spanish poet, Federico Garcia Lorca as ‘the only street in the world which I wish would never end’.
For sports fans, a most see is the world famous Camp Nou, the 100,000 seater stadium and home to the likes of Messi, Xavi and Henry who played for the current European champions, FC Barcelona. It houses the most visited museum in Catalonia, El Museu del Barca, which receives 1.2 million fans a year.
Barcelona is also famous for its many beaches close to the city centre as well as its vibrant nightlife which goes on until well into the early hours of the morning.
The new service from IWAK will operate during the 2010 summer season from May to October initially and is expected to increase the seat capacity at the airport this year by in the region of 29,000 seats.
“Ryanair is pleased to announce its third summer sun route from Ireland West Airport Knock to Reus-Barcelona which will ensure that holidaymakers from the West, North West and Midlands regions of Ireland can jet to the sun from their local airport. This summer Ryanair will operate summer sun flights to Alicante (Costa Blanca), Faro (The Algarve) and Reus Barcelona (Costa Daurada) from Ireland West Airport Knock, fares will start from €44.99 one way,” said Lesley Kane, Head of Sales and Marketing at Ryanair.
This will be the ninth Ryanair service to fly from IWAK and  Joe Gilmore, Managing Director at IWAK, said they were delighted with the news.
“Not only is Reus-Barcelona a popular sun destination but this new service opens up for the first time the European city break market for people in the region who will have direct access to the beautiful city of Barcelona which is less than a 90 minute journey by train and bus from the town of Reus – only 10 minutes from Reus Airport. 
“For the many football enthusiasts out there we are sure that this new service will also come as welcome news as this offers them the opportunity to watch the European champions Barcelona in action,” he said.
Flights from Ireland West Airport Knock to Reus-Barcelona will depart on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 08:55am and will return into Ireland West Airport on the same days at 08:30am. On Thursdays, flights will depart Ireland West Airport Knock at 11:35am and arrive into Ireland West Airport Knock from Reus-Barcelona on Thursdays at 11:10am. 

More info For further airport information log onto www.irelandwestairport.com; for information on fares and to book flights log onto www.ryanair.com.