Above: an Air Europa plane

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The first Air Europa flight from Madrid touched down in San Juan on Thursday afternoon.

It was the first direct flight from Madrid to San Juan since Iberia canceled its flights between the two cities in December 2012.

The flights will be operated every Thursday and Sunday between Madrid and San Juan, according to Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla.

The route will carry a maximum of 229 passengers on each flight, including 24 business class seats.

Garcia said the route could bring an average of 15,000 European tourists each year, with a potential economic impact of $38 million in the first year.

In a statement, he said the flight’s arrival was “a key part of our efforts to give new life to air traffic,” which aims to bring a total of 10 million annual passengers through San Juan in five years.

“We are moving towards what we know is a new beginning,” the Governor said. “We live in a moment of transformation that is taking us step by step to economic recovery.”