The works on the cable car that will link the Astún-Candanchú stations will start in spring

The works on the future cable car that will connect the ski resorts of Astún and Candanchú in La Jacetania from 2027 will begin this spring. This was confirmed by the CEO of Candanchú, Fernando Montón, during the review of the first month of the campaign in the private Alto Aragon resorts of La Jacetania. “It is a reality and adds a very important attraction,” confirmed Montón.

The CEO of Candanchú has specified from the old Ámbar beer factories in the San José neighbourhood that the work must be completed in less than two years and that the Government of Aragon expects all the paperwork to be approved in April. The first phase was put out to tender in the summer and awarded on 8 September. 

In addition, it has been specified that the works will not interfere with the skiing seasons, but they will have to stop during the winter . They are considering deadlines between April and November. “There are works that will have to be stopped. There will be some parts that can be carried out during the winter, such as the buildings from where the cabins arrive and depart, but basically the works will advance when we are preparing for the next season ,” said Morón.   

For the deputy general manager of Astún, Andrés Pita, this milestone that will physically unite the ski area with the offer of the resorts “ is very close ”. “It is underway and allows us to ratify the offer of the Aragón valley as a very complete product”, declared Pita. 

35 MILLION INVESTMENT

Up to 35 million euros are to be invested to unify the Astún-Candanchú ski area, which covers a total of 100 kilometres. This step is sustainable and, above all, complementary, since Astún mainly offers intermediate level slopes and Candanchú offers others with a much steeper slope, but also a beginners’ area. It is one of the flagship projects of the Pyrenees Plan and receives 22 million euros from the Government of Aragon; another 10 from European funds and the remaining 3 from the Provincial Council of Huesca (DPH).

ROUTE AND PHASES

It will have a route of 2.2 kilometres, from Reina Sofía to Collado. It is expected that when fully operational it will have 96 cabins and a transport capacity of 2,400 passengers per hour. At the same time, an economic impact on the Aragón Valley is expected to increase by around 12% in summer. And as Andrés Pita has recalled, deseasonalisation is another of the major objectives. “We have all the elements to succeed. We believe in it and we are an example,” he stressed.

The actual landing of the project is divided into three phases. In Phase 0 there will be 24 cabins and will have a capacity of 600 people/hour. In Phase 1, starting in 2030, the construction of the garage for 48 cabins will be carried out and the expected capacity will be 1,200 people/hour and in Phase 2, starting in 2035, there will be 96 cabins and a capacity of 2,400 people/hour.