Vueling, a company belonging to IAG, celebrates 20 years marking a before and after in the aviation sector. The first low cost airline in Spain and southern Europe, Vueling has become a benchmark in air transport in the territories where it operates.
It began its journey in July 2004, being the first airline with its base, headquarters and operations centre at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat airport, with a fleet of 2 aircraft, 5 destinations and a team of one hundred professionals. This set a precedent and changed the rules of the game, making travel accessible to the entire population.
Vueling has experienced strong growth and expansion during its 20 years of existence. It currently has a fleet of 124 aircraft spread over 16 bases, operations that reach more than 200,000 flights a year and a team of more than 4,600 people. In 2013 it became part of the leading aviation group IAG and in 2019 it merged with Clickair.
Today it is the leading low cost airline in the short and medium-haul sector in Spain and Europe, as well as in France, the United Kingdom and Italy.
Innovation as the key to success
Vueling defines itself as a digital native airline, being a pioneer in achieving major milestones linked to technology such as the sale of tickets through the mobile application, digital boarding passes with QR code or the launch of biometric recognition in some airports in Spain.
The company has the largest innovation hub in the sector in Spain, with a team of more than 600 professionals, who are constantly developing technology to anticipate the challenges of the future.
The low-cost airline is in the midst of integrating projects linked to Artificial Intelligence (AI) applied to improving the efficiency of operations and user experience, as well as streamlining complex internal processes, improving response time to users and simplifying processes through ‘talking avatars’.
Virtual Reality (VR) is another key technology for Vueling, as multiple applications are foreseen in different functions such as cabin crew training and certification, boarding processes or maintenance routines.
Strong commitment to sustainability
The IAG group, to which Vueling belongs, was the first airline group to commit to achieving zero net CO2 emissions by 2050. In order to accelerate the decarbonisation of its activity and achieve its zero net emissions targets, Vueling continues to make progress in its sustainability plan focused on three main areas: the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), fleet efficiency and the planning and efficiency of its operations. On this last point, Vueling and ENAIRE have taken a further step forward in the Single European Sky (SES) project, a plan that aims to reduce emissions through the optimisation of air routes.
Vueling is also experiencing growth in operational efficiency and sustainability. The company is working with two technology partners to optimise flight operations and monitor initiatives aimed at reducing CO2 emissions.
On the one hand, NAVlink from Nav Fligh Services, which allows pilots to incorporate weather and wind forecasts to adjust descent manoeuvres, thus improving fuel efficiency. The Pilot Fuel Efficiency App also helps pilots calculate CO2 emissions. With these systems, the company will achieve an annual reduction of 2,500 tonnes of emissions across the Vueling fleet. In addition, the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80%.
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