The cost of internal flights is being driven down by the low-cost airline invasion and lower airfares could mean property near the country's regional airports get an even bigger boost.

You wouldn't be surprised to see flights to Spain from the UK costing as little as £40, but getting around once you're actually in the country might be a more expensive affair. It's a paradox that has given Iberia, the country's leading flight operator, a monopoly on domestic flights – and means it's not unusual to see Spaniards and tourists paying over a hundred euros for flights between places like Madrid and the Canary Islands.

But cheap flights around Spain could be on their way as the low-cost budget airlines move in. Airline companies like EasyJet, Ryanair, Spanair and are all vying for a share of what could be a very lucrative market, and estate agents are watching closely to see how it will affect the property sector.

Property in Spain has traditionally benefited from increased air routes and lowering airfares, and any areas that are likely to be included in the new internal routes may see a boost to the value of property, whether they are private villas or new developments on the Costas.

A new airline, Clickair, which calls itself a "fiercely low-cost player" could also drive down prices and could be worth a look by British travellers and property hunters keen to escape the wildly fluctuating ticket fares. The company's Internet sales have already started even though Clickair's first three planes have yet to take off. Their launch date is set at mid October.

EasyJet is investing 68 million to make Madrid's Barajas airport its new operational centre in Spain. A cascade of new routes from Madrid, both domestic and international, mean the cost of international flights going into Spain could also fall further as a consequence. EasyJet's head of southern Europe, Arnaldo Munoz, said in a statement, "Thirty percent of all flights in Spain are low cost but we believe this figure is sure to rise far more because up to now, a good part of the offering has been tailored towards the tourist and the European passenger."

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For further information:
ClickAir 
EasyJet 
Ryanair 
Spanair  
Air-Europa 

Read other articles about Spain:
Murcia: Hot property in a dry climate
Young homebuyers look to property in Spain
Spain's inland areas and the Islands

Article first published on 18 September 2006