No Swimming from Benalmadena Beaches Before 11:00 am

With effect from next month Benalmadena Town Hall has banned bathing before 11:00am and will not allow towels or parasols to be put on the beach between the sun-loungers and the sea.

The 11:00 am start is so the beaches can be cleaned beforehand with the Socialist controlled Town Hall saying the objective is to fine unsociable behaviour on the beach, describing it as an "instrument of awareness and co-existence in a public space, to make the beach a place for all the family".

Opposition in the town said it was ‘restrictive and unjust’ for businesses on the beach, claiming that it excessively limits the use and enjoyment of the coast.

New H&M Store in Malaga

The Swedish low cost retail-clothing company H&M opened its third store in Malaga City last Thursday.

It is located in Plaza de Felix Saenz which is close to the Atarazanas Market off Calle Sagasta and past the Baroque-style former Felix Saenz department store which is now converted to apartments. Just past this building is the Plaza de Felix Saenz.

Free Concerts on the Costa del Sol

A Scottish youth band will give three free concerts on the Costa del Sol this week.

The Erskine/Stewart Melville band and singers from Edinburgh will be dressed in kilts and perform a varied programme of popular and traditional Scottish music accompanied by a bagpiper and clasarch (Celtic harp).

It will be their sixth visit to Andalucia with all the concerts being held at 8:00 pm on:

Monday February 20th, Casa de Cultura Pablo Picasso, Torremolinos

Tuesday February 21st, Casa de Cultura, Arroyo de la Miel

Wednesday February 22nd, Teatro Las Lagunas, Mijas

San Pedro Tunnel Opening Delayed Again

Problems with leaks in the structure of the San Pedro tunnel are delaying the asphalting and the long-awaited opening will now hopefully be in April or May

After two and a half years of delays the work has suffered another setback which will put back the expected Easter opening with the Mayor of Marbella saying: “We have a guarantee that it will be open before the summer”.

The Marbella Government still have a number of loose ends to tie up before work can start next week. This will be done under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Works.

News on Costa del Sol Railway

The Spanish Ministry for Development yesterday announced that they have changed the route that the Mediterranean Rail Corridor will take from Algeciras. The original proposal was for the line to go inland to link Almeria, Granada, Antequera and Sevilla, but the new plan concentrates more on the needs of freight (but carrying passengers) and will follow the coast linking Almeria, Motril, Malaga and Algeciras. The idea is that container traffic can be transferred to the trains for distribution right across Europe by rail.

The new Mediterranean railway corridor will allow passengers to travel from Algeciras along the coast as far as Barcelona and then into France and the rest of Europe. There will also be connections to Malaga Airport and the ferry port. Another part of the new plans is the selection of a central route though the Pyrenees.

The new proposal will be presented to the European Union for approval with construction planned between 2014 and 2030. The EU considers the trans European rail link as a priority and therefore financing with European funds is likely.

There is still a plan for a railway along the Costa del Sol, but the rocky terrain and lack of available land on some parts of the coast mean that the project is likely to take years before it is in operation.

Fuel Costs More in Malaga

The cost of buying petrol in Malaga is more expensive than the rest of Spain with prices being consistently high throughout 2011 and set to follow the same trend this year. Prices in the rest of Andalucia and Extremadura are the highest in Spain costing 25% more than in Northern Spain.

In Malaga a litre of diesel costs an average of €1.31, while unleaded petrol is €130.7 which is almost €0.015 more than the national average and €0.04 more than in Huesca or Navarra where the lowest prices are found.

One theory about the high prices is that just a few petrol companies own 70% of the filling stations in the province and charge different prices depending on the location of the station. This is taking advantage of the fact that it is a tourist area with prices rising even more during the high season on 1st July.

So if you are hiring a car from Malaga Airport and doing some travelling around make sure that you have enough fuel in the tank to shop around and secure the best petrol prices

Car Hire Tips at Malaga Airport

With half term approaching and a high number of people fleeing the cold snowy UK weather to the sunnier climes of the Costa del Sol, Malaga Airport will be busy this weekend.The quickest and easiest way to get to your final destination after you land at Malaga Airport is to hire a car.

There are 23 car hire companies at Malaga, but only 9 of them are located in the terminal buildings 2 and 3. The offsite car hire companies are mainly located on the Avenida Garcia Morato which is only a few minutes away and runs parallel to the airport, but you will have to take a courtesy bus to their offices to collect your rent a car.

A good tip to avoid the queues at the car hire desks is that if there are a number of you travelling and you have hold baggage to collect then leave the non-driver waiting at the luggage carousel and let the driver head for the car hire desk to organise the rental. If you have pre-booked your car you need to present the credit card on which the booking was made, your booking paperwork and driving licence before you will be issued with the car keys. You will also be told in which bay and on which level of the car park you will find your rental car.

When you return your rental car you access Malaga Airport via Avenida Garcia Morato which is the approach road that comes off the MA-21 (formerly N-340) national road into Malaga Airport. Follow the car rental return signs until you reach the entrance for your rental agency. The car park for car hire companies is on floors 0 and -1 of the P2 car park (for picking up vehicles) and on floors -1 and -2 of P1 car park (for returning them).

Staff Redundancies at Air Nostrum

Following the recent collapse of Spanair, the Spanish airline Air Nostrum has presented a temporary redundancy plan for their workforce with 1,800 workers being affected over two years.

Temporary lay offs are due to the increased costs of aviation fuel, a fall of 14.8% in income from each passenger since 2008 and the falling euro. A fifteen day period of consultations is under way with meetings planned with the workers representatuves every two or three days. Legal proceedings have already started in Valencia where the company has its headquarters.

The airline is a franchise of the Spanish national carrier Iberia. It intends to leave its fifteen fifty seater planes on the ground cancelling most of their loss-making summer routes to fight the economic crisis.

Spanair Employees Reject Ryanair Employment Offer

Redundant Spanair workers have rejected an offer of employment from Ryanair because of the obligation to pay taxes in Ireland and the fact that they have to open a bank account in Gibraltar to collect their wages.

The workers workers committee have said they would rather try to obtain work with the Spanish Airports Authority or be relocated at El Prat Airport in Barcelona.

The Chairman of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, said the closure of Spanair was an inevitable tragedy because of the high management costs and invited the workers to apply for a job with his company. Although he underlined that Ryanair is Irish and the wages would be paid in an Irish bank and tax would also be paid in Ireland.

Spanair workers are not yet collecting unemployment benefit and were only paid 1,000 € for their wages in January.

Latest on San Pedro Tunnel

The Mayor of Marbella has requested that the Ministry of Public Works create a committee to supervise the works on the A-7 motorway in San Pedro Alcantara to try and get the project finished.

Apart from easing the traffic flow and congestion which is particularly bad in this area during the rush hours, the project will take the A-7 motorway to an underpass which will leave 90,000m2 in the centre of San Pedro for development.

The work should have been finished in 2009 and then last year it was promised it would be done by early 2012. The Mayor said that work needs to be “coordinated so the project can finish as soon as possible”.

Latest News on Weather at UK Airports

The snow and freezing conditions are affecting a number of UK and European airports today and all the although it is sunny here on the Costa del Sol and Malaga Airport is operating normally, all the airlines travelling from the UK recommend that you allow extra time for their journeys to the airport and check the with them before leaving.

You can obtain an up to date situation on your flight by checking their website.

Below is a quick round up of the situation at some UK airports at 08:20 Sunday 5th February:

• Gatwick Airport remains open for business

• Luton Airport disruption possible due to poor weather conditions

• Heathrow Airport operating reduced flight schedule

• Stansted Airport opening shortly

• Robin Hood Airport closed due to snow

• East Midlands disruption possible to flights

Bumpy Ride on Flights from Malaga Airport

If you are flying in or out of Malaga Airport today be prepared to keep your seat belts fastened, remain in your seat and get ready for a bumpy ride.

The weather in Spain this weekend has been described as the worst for 60 years and although the Costa del Sol has a bright blue sky and looks lovely from an aircraft window, it is currently experiencing some very high winds and is icy cold. This is due to very cold weather front from Siberia which is crossing the whole of Europe.

Flights are arriving and departing more or less on time from Malaga Costa del Sol Airport today so far, but the high winds and icy weather is due to last until tomorrow (Sunday) so make sure you have some warm clothes. At the moment flying from Malaga is not for the faint hearted! It is of course perfectly safe because the Spanish Airport Authority would not allow the flights to operate if there was any threat of danger, but the flights are going to be very lumpy.

Benalmadena Port to Double in Size

Benalmadena Puerto Marina which is jut a few minutes drive from Malaga Costa del

Sol Airport is to become the largest marina in Andalucía with a new concession from

the Public Agency for Ports in Andalucía which has approved an almost doubling of

the size of the port and granted the Town Hall another 30 years concession.

It will take over an additional 38 hectares offshore, and a new 26,000 square metre

dock which will allow for 19,000 square metres of buildings for more shops and

leisure facilities. 825 new berths will take the total number to 1,700 making it the

largest marina in Andalucia.

Malaga Airport Assistance for Passengers with Reduced Mobility

In May, September and October last year Malaga Costa del Sol Airport handled more than 100,000 passengers with reduced mobility, which is 3.79% more than in 2010.

Since the “No Barriers” service started in July 2008 it has assisted almost 400,000 travellers at Malaga Airport which has 19 points of contact inside and outside the terminals in areas including parking, arrivals and departures. It offers a number of resources including wheelchairs, adapted vehicles and a tail lift to assist aircraft embarkation.

Passengers using the service gave the highest rating for the assistance provided: Outstanding which is 4.68 on a numerical scale from 1 to 5.

The service provided by “No Barriers” at Spanish Airports includes:

- At the airport of departure: collecting the person in the meeting point and follow the check-in, support towards the boarding area past the security checkpoints or customs if necessary and transport to designated seat on the plane.

- At the airport of arrival: help with luggage, moving from seat to the door of the plane, shift to the baggage hall passing the necessary checks and travel to a meeting place.

- In transit / connections: provide any assistance required including loading, unloading and transfer through the terminal.

More February Strikes at Spanish Airports

There will be five more 24 hour stoppages by pilots who work for the Spanish airline Iberia in protest at the airline’s intention to establish the low-cost carrier Iberia Express by moving 40 planes across which they say puts 5,000 jobs in danger.

The next days of strike action are on February 3rd, 17th, 20th, 24th and 29th and are in addition to the strike called by the ground staff and cabin crew unions, Stavla, CTA and CNT.

Iberia is saying the new service will make huge savings and save the airline. They are still going ahead with the first flight for Iberia Express on March 25th.